Passions of war
by Just Somedude 1
Summary: Fancy is a clone, no better than a droid, destined to follow any order to the letter, weather he likes it or not. Malakai is a Jedi, a keeper of the peace, and now a soldier, a warrior. From the clone wars, to order 66, to the conflict between the Empire and the Rebellion. From Jedi to Clones, every soldier has a story, every war has a price, every passion has a restriction.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, here's how it's gonna go, I am NOT going to do little intros and outros every chapter because I'm so excited about this story I don't want to spend a shit ton of time on this stuff, so I will only do this when it's important. Read and review, God bless, love ya'll. Contains spoilers from Star Wars the Clone wars, kind of. There is a lot of stuff that isn't in the cartoon but a lot of stuff that is, if you haven't seen Clone wars, head to kiss cartoon then stick a lil ole dot in there and follow it with a com in there, and then just search it and you can watch it. Btw guys I don't really have the patience to go through a bunch of shows and lores and lists to find out which planets got the war and which ones didn't, so I swear the first person that comments on this and says "Oh the war didn't actually go to this planet and this that and the other" is going to get a very angry PM from me you pricks. Also, planet descriptions are based off of a quick google search, so cut me a bit of slack.**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Anakin Skywalker**

 **19:00 hours**

 **Kamino**

 **Approximately one month after the first battle of Geonosis**

"Ugh," Ashoka complained "I hate these missions, I'd much rather be on the battlefield."

"Me too," I admitted "But master Ti's transmission said this particular squad had qualities she thinks could fit the 501st."

"Sir," Rex said "With all due respect, I don't understand why I'm here."

"You'll have the final word," I explained "I may be the general, but our soldiers look to you."

Rex gave no further objection as we entered the facility, and were greeted by a Kaminoan and Shaak Ti. Ashoka and I bowed while Rex saluted, and she smiled at us. I saw Ashoka looking around, marveling at how clean everything was. I knew, even on her home world, she wasn't used to things like these. Me on the other hand, well when you travel with master Kenobi as much as I have, these things stop surprising you, sometimes.

"Master Skywalker," Shaak Ti said, bowing "Padawan Tano, and Captain Rex, is it?"

"Yes ma'am," Rex said, saluting "At your service."

"Follow me then," She said, motioning us "It will be another month before this squad has completed their training, but if you are satisfied with them, they will be transferred to the 501st as soon as they're ready for battle."

"What squad?" Rex asked

"Gravity squad." The Kaminoan responded

"And their names?" Rex asked

"FJ-7594, GR-8659, CK-7345, BK-7392, and AD-4739." She replied

"No no no," Rex said "Their names, not their identification numbers."

"I'm afraid I don't follow." She said, confused

"Their names," Shaak Ti said, turning to Rex "The other clones call them Fancy, Gunrack, Clip, Bravo, and Arrow."

"Thank you." Rex said

Even though he was wearing a helmet, I could tell he was glaring at the Kaminoan, who didn't seem to realize what she had done. The clones especially were very touchy about their names, which they used instead of their numbers. It separated them from droids, and despite what everyone else thought, they were men. They may have been cloned from someone, but they were still men, they weren't expendable.

"They're just inside," The Kaminoan said, showing us to a door "I'll leave you with them."

The door opened, and Rex, Shaak Ti, Ashoka, and I stepped inside. Five clones stood inside, dressed in their training armor. They weren't anymore than nineteen, or at least, that's how old they looked. They aged fast, and I knew they would be battle ready in a few weeks. Recently, a new technique had been developed that once these clones had reached a certain age, they would stop aging completely. Clones like Rex would stop aging fast and just age normally once they reached a certain age, but these ones wouldn't. We didn't know what would happen to them, perhaps old age was just their bodies shutting down, no matter how old they looked, but I knew that, eventually, we would find out.

"At ease boys." Rex said, removing his helmet as the five of them suddenly shot to their feet and stood at attention

They nodded and sat back down, casting nervous glances at eachother. I knew that the 501st carried a reputation, but I didn't realize how big it was until that moment. These five clones knew exactly who we were, and what we were doing here. They all looked exactly alike, as they obviously hadn't reached the point of marking themselves different, as most clones did at a certain age. Cutting their hair, tattoos, and such.

"Fancy," Rex said, looking at the report on the desk "You helped the squad pass one of the courses by fixing one of the droids you blasted, and sticking an EMP charge into it, then setting it off once it had walked into the crowd of droids standing between you and your objective, is this correct?

"Yes sir," One of the clones, Fancy, said "I did, sir."

"Gunrack," Rex continued "You have displayed more accuracy with a weapon than any other clone in your generation, and the highest number of confirmed droid kills in your squad, at least, in the training. Correct?"

"Yes sir." Gunrack said

"Clip," Rex said, consulting the list again "You're the fastest in the squad, you have yet to be hit by a droid during a training session, it was you that recovered the marker after Fancy detonated the EMP. Correct?"

"Yes sir." Clip said

"Bravo," Rex continued, clearly impressed with this squad's achievements "You have displayed an extreme ability to adapt in the face of any circumstance, one of the most pronounced being when a malfunction in your weapons caused them to have no effect on the training droids. You led your squad around the droids, capturing the cannons behind them, where Fancy rewired them to fire on their own troops."

"Yes sir." Bravo said

"And, last but not least, Arrow," Rex said "After being separated from your squad during your advance up the course, you flanked the droids, giving your squad covering fire so that they could move up and reconnect, refusing to leave a single man behind at the cost of victory."

"Yes sir." Arrow said

"Well," I said, stepping forward "It appears you weren't exaggerating when you said they had qualities that would do well in the 501st. We could use soldiers like them."

"Wait a minute," Gunrack said "Is he saying what I think he's saying?"

"Gentleman," Rex said "If the three of us are all agreed on it, when you pass your final test, you'll be transferred into the 501st."

"Haha," Gunrack said, punching Fancy on the arm "You said we'd get stuck on some outpost in the outer rim."

"That's where most troopers will start," Fancy shrugged "Didn't really think we'd be any different."

"Well, I'm for it," Rex said, turning to me "Sir?"

"I'm impressed," I admitted "We're in need of men like you five, with skills like you have. I'm for it too, Ashoka?"

"Me?" Ashoka asked, shocked

"You may be a padawan," I told her "But you hold a position of command, you get a say."

"I mean, it sounds impressive," Ashoka said "But training against an actual battle? Say they get killed, then we're without their skills."

"With all due respect commander," Bravo spoke up "We're sort of made to go out, fight, and get killed."

"I'm for it." Ashoka said hesitantly, as though she couldn't really believe she had a say

"Welcome to the 501st gentlemen." Rex said, turning back to the cadets

This was met with a cheer from the clone cadets, who shoved and pushed eachother, having just secured their spots in one of the most feared clone legions in the entire Republic.

 **FJ-7594: Fancy**

 **Two months later**

 **Falleen**

I gripped my DC-15A blaster rifle tight, feeling the ship rock hard. General Skywalker stood next to me, his face set. Commander Tano stood to my back, looking about as nervous as I felt. I saw Bravo and Arrow standing on the other end of the ship, their helmets covering their faces. Gunrack was standing just in front of me, Clip beside him. I didn't know all the clones around me yet, but I knew a general feel of who was who. I felt a jolt as the ship touched down on the ground, and I got ready to move.

"Alright shinies," Rex laughed, clapping me on the back "It's icy where we just landed, don't slip, don't get killed."

The door opened and Skywalker and Tano ignited their lightsabers, waving to the clones to follow them. We bolted out into the open, where we had no cover. The drop ships started taking off as soon as the clones were off, a few were blown up.

"Move! Move!" Skywalker yelled, blocking a blaster bolt "We're in the open, get to cover!"

I looked up into the blizzard that was raging around us, seeing red bolts flying at us. The clone next to me took one to the head and dropped, dead. I rushed forward and fired back, using Commander Tano as cover. She blocked bolts while I fired back, but I still couldn't see anything.

"I can't even see the droids!" Gunrack yelled, coming up next to me "How are we supposed to hit them?"

"Shoot at them until they stop shooting back!" Another clone yelled from behind him

"That always works!" Ashoka laughed, blocking another bolt

I fired another burst of shots, ducking down to avoid one that would've hit my head. I had no idea where Clip, Bravo, or Arrow were, but I knew they were probably alright. There were a few dead clones lying around me, and more were dropping. I saw Rex sticking close to Skywalker, taking shots whenever he saw one. We were slowly advancing, and the droids were slowly coming into view.

"Move up!" Skywalker yelled "Keep your heads low!"

Another bolt shot out and struck the clone behind me, putting him to the ground. I dodged another bullet, keeping my head low as instructed. Our armor restricted a bit of movement, and I had heard they were working on a new type of armor that allowed us to move better, but until they developed it, we were stuck in these. Solid white, sleek, clean, with a stupid fin like thing sticking out of the top, it made us stick out like sore thumbs. Although, the white did make it a bit hard for the droids to see us in the snow, but I doubted it helped since we were very openly firing at them.

"Outpost just ahead!" A clone yelled "If we can take it over, we'll be able to establish a foothold."

I ran across the opening between the Commander and the General and took cover behind Skywalker, where I was able to get a better shot at the droids. At this angle, I was able to see them, which meant I could hit them.

"Obi-Wan!" Skywalker yelled into his com link "Are you busy?"

"Not particularly." Came a response

"I could use an airstrike!" Skywalker said back

"Copy that," A voice sighed "I'll have Oddball hit your position."

"Tell him hit the blue smoke!" Skywalker yelled

I fired at the droids again, taking down another one. I saw super battle droids marching behind them, their wrist blasters leveled at us. The clone in front of my took a shot to the chest as they opened fire, and we were forced to scatter.

"Fall back!" Skywalker yelled "Get back! Rex, pop blue smoke!"

"Yes sir!" Rex called back, dropping a canister at his feet

We turned away and ran back the way we came, about a hundred yards or so. Skywalker began yelling for us to hold, so we turned around and returned fire at the droids. I saw Republic ARC-170 starfighters flying overhead, and then a massive ball of flames rocked the droid position, obliterating the ones in our path.

"Forward!" Skywalker yelled "Drive them back! We have our opening!"

"Move it shiny!" Rex yelled, grabbing my shoulder

I threw myself back into action, running behind Rex, firing at droids. It wasn't long before we reached where the airstrike had hit, the ground was still scorched, and bits of droids were scattered everywhere. I also saw bits of clones, the ones who had been killed and the airstrike had hit their bodies.

"Keep moving Fancy!" A clone yelled "Come on now, don't get killed on us!"

"Arrow?" I asked

"No, it's Clip!" He yelled back

"I can't tell!" I yelled back "All of our armor looks the same!"

"Well, make sure it isn't set apart from everybody else's by a blaster mark!" He yelled back "Move!"

I kept moving, firing at droids as we went. This time, we tore right through the battle droids, they never stood a chance. They were still in disarray from the airstrike and we overtook them no problem, but it was getting control from the inside that proved to be a problem.

"Droidekas!" Ashoka yelled, pointing

Four of them rolled out from behind a communication tower, letting their shields come up as they stopped moving. We scattered, trying to find cover as they began firing. Any clone standing up front got mowed down, but most of everybody made it to cover.

"Roll an EMP grenade under their shields!" Rex called, tossing me one "Nice and slow boys!"

I peeked a little bit out of the cover and rolled mine, sending it as slow as I possibly could. A few of them bounced off, but enough made it through the shields. They went off, shocking the droids. The driodekas straightened up, their shields disappearing, and then fell over.

"Blast em!" Rex yelled

We opened fire on them while they were down, making sure they were permanently disabled. The fire died down very gradually, and eventually stopped completely. I glanced around at the havoc around me, dead clones, droids, blaster burns everywhere, melted snow all around where the airstrike had hit.

"Still alive?" Rex asked, clapping me on the back "Nice shooting shiny, you did good."

"Thank you sir," I said, saluting "Have you seen Gunrack? Or any of the others?"

"Arrow's wounded," Rex said "The others are fine."

I nodded and went to find them, looking around at all the clones. They all looked the same in their armor, but once they took their helmets off, it was easier to tell who was who. I saw Arrow leaned against a wall, a medic checking on his stomach. He had an arrow tattooed on the left corner of his forehead, and he had shaved his head entirely bald, different, but simple. I saw Gunrack, Bravo, and Clip standing off to the side of him, making sure he was alright. I made my way to them, taking off my helmet as I walked.

"Well, we're all still in one piece," Bravo said as I approached "That's a start."

"Yeah, now let's see if we can make it through the rest of this war." Clip laughed

"Alright boys!" Skywalker yelled, standing on a pile of crates "Listen up, now that we've captured this outpost and secured a foothold, General Kenobi can land his soldiers and back us up, now, we can push on!"

"We'll take the planet in no time!" Rex said, standing beside him "I need all you boys to stay sharp, this entire planet is crawling with clankers! Keep your wits about you, and your guns loaded!"

"There he is!" Ashoka yelled, pointing to the sky

I looked up and saw more Republic gunships coming in, moving down to land. They touched just outside the base and the doors opened, clones spilling out of them. General Kenobi stepped out of one, followed by a clone with an orange shoulder pad, Commander Cody. He and Rex were legends back on Kamino, everybody knew who they were.

"Well," Kenobi said, coming inside the base "Well done Anakin, I must say, I had my doubts."

"Can't you ever just be completely confident in me?" Skywalker asked him "Just once?"

"I have total confidence in your abilities," He said "It's your methods I don't trust."

"My methods are fine," Skywalker laughed, jumping down "All due to your teachings."

"Yes well, we'll have to debate that another time," Kenobi said, drawing his lightsaber "I'm willing to bet this base didn't go down quietly, and I sense Dooku."

"Very well," Skywalker said, turning to the rest of us "Alright boys! Suit up, and let's move out!"

 **Padawan Malakai Wolshor**

 **Coruscant: Jedi temple**

"Malakai," Aradella said, snapping her fingers "Are you there?"

"Yeah," I said, bringing myself back to reality "Just lost in thought."

"You do that way too much," She laughed "Come on, Master Yoda wants to see us."

"I'd rather not go anywhere." I grumbled, getting up

We had been sitting in our favorite spot, an old balcony overlooking the city below us. It wasn't a very commonly used corridor, so we often came here together, just to get away. We had come more often since the war had started, and it was well needed. Peaceful and quiet, everything the temple wasn't these days. I had turned thirteen a few weeks ago, and still had yet to be on the battlefield, but knowing master Kento, it wouldn't be long.

"Well we have to," She said, tugging at the sleeve of my robe "Come on."

"I'm coming." I said, walking after her

Aradella and I were different in so many ways, from the color of our lightsabers and our robes, to the way we chose to solve problems. We were both humans, from Tatooine, from the same village, known eachother almost our whole lives.. We had both been found by master Yoda when we were about ten, and stay together throughout our training. Although we had been viewed as too old for the training, we were allowed to pass, and we weren't the only ones in our class. It was often that I wondered how we could be such good friends with so many differences between us. I wore a black cloak, with a black tunic and jedi robes, and she wore a brown cloak, with a tan tunic and robes. I preferred to use my lightsaber to solve my problems, Aradella used the force in ways I hadn't seen anybody else in our class use it.

"Come on slow poke," She teased, grabbing my lightsaber from my belt and running off "You'll get this back if you can catch me!"

"No fair!" I called after her, taking off

She rounded the corner and dodged a frightened looking padawan, glancing over her shoulder to make sure I was still following her. I knew she would be heading to find master Yoda, so I just followed her, knowing I'd get my lightsaber back weather I caught her or not, just like I always did.

"You're getting slower!" She taunted, jumping clean over a group of Jedi "Come on!"

"I'm trying!" I laughed, going around them

I had almost caught her when she rounded the corner and skidded to a halt, trying to stand respectfully at the same time. Instead, she ended up running right into Master Windu, almost knocking him over. I stopped just short of them, avoiding the collision. Aradella, however, tumbled to the floor, my lightsaber sliding from her hand.

"What are you doing?" Master Windu demanded, helping her up

"We were on our way to see master Yoda," I said, using the force to pull my lightsaber to me "We were in a hurry, master."

"I can see that," He said "Any particular reason you had his lightsaber, Padawan Aradella?"

"Motivation, Master," She said "He didn't seem very eager to come along, so I told him if he caught me I'd give it back, it usually works."

"You two," He sighed, shaking his head "Some of the oddest methods I've ever seen, regardless, run along, and hurry."

"Yes Master." We both said, bowing

We hurried away from him, heading off towards the library. I glanced back to make sure he was out of earshot before Aradella and I burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer.

"Nice use of the force back there." I laughed

"I can't believe I had to run into master Windu of all people," Aradella giggled "He scares me sometimes."

"He is pretty intimidating." I agreed

We rounded another corner, and spotted Master Yoda, standing with my master, waiting for us. Master Kento Marek, one of the most skilled warriors I had ever had the privilege to meet. He nodded at us as we drew closer, and Aradella and I exchanged worried looks, knowing exactly what this was about.

"Masters." We greeted them, bowing

"Ahh, Malakai," Kento said "I've been looking for you."

"I was under the impression this meeting had been called by master Yoda." I said, raising my eyebrows

"Well, it was him who called you," Kento laughed "Because I called him."

"Yes, called we did," Yoda said "An assignment for you and your master, I have."

"An assignment?" I asked

"Yes," Kento said "I have volunteered to lead the assault on Kashyyyk, and I want you to accompany me."

"Me?" I asked "Why me? Of all the other more experienced Jedi to come with, why me?"

"A promising warrior you are," Yoda said "Yet, experience you lack."

"Well, a war is a great place to get some." I shrugged

"Malakai!" Aradella exclaimed "You're really considering this?"

"It sounds like I don't have much of a choice." I said

"You'll be fine," Kento assured me "Come and meet me in hanger five when you're ready, and we'll depart."

And with that, he and master Yoda turned and walked away, leaving us standing alone. Aradella looked angry and scared all in the same expression, and I knew why. When this war had started, I had promised her I would be safe if I ever got called to go out. She knew me better than I knew myself, I would do every stupid thing you could possibly do in a war, and I might just live to tell about it, but I also might not.

"Aradella," I said "I'm going to be fine, I'll come back."

"And what if you don't?" She demanded

"I will," I said "Don't think about if I don't, because it only jinxes me."

"This isn't a training session," She said "Malakai, this is real life."

"I know," I told her "I promise, I'll come back."

She pulled me into a hug and held me tight, something that was very rare between the two of us. Signs of affection, especially among Jedi, was frowned upon. I hugged her back, knowing that this may very well be the last time I saw her.

"Be safe," She whispered to me "Or at least try to."

"Do or do not," I said, imitating Master Yoda's voice "There is no try."

This made her laugh and I gave her a reassuring smile before turning away and heading off to the hanger, trying to prepare myself for war, or at least, as much as you can when you're a thirteen year old boy about to be pushed into a war you really didn't want any part of.

 **MM-6293: Mermaid**

 **Kashyyyk orbit**

 **15:00 hours**

"Watch your back kid." Iron called over the com

"Who knew droids held grudges." Commander Malakai's voice responded

I laughed and adjusted our course to help him, knowing he would need it. He was trying to keep the panic out of his voice, but he had attracted the attention of the droid army in a very stupid way, taking out one of their frigates by landing a direct hit on the command bridge with about four dozen rockets, very unorthodox, very much overkill, yet very effective.

"Try and stay calm," Marek's voice responded "We'll get those droids off you."

"With all due respect, Master," Malakai said "It looks like you're a bit preoccupied."

I looked over at General Kento's ship and saw that the commander was right, he was very preoccupied. Droid swarms were blasting at his ship, and only his Jedi reflexes kept him alive. I locked onto one of the droids behind Malakai and blasted at it, scoring a direct hit and knocking him out of the sky.

"We've got two more coming on our tail," Iron said "And counting."

"Shoot them down." I said, locking onto another

IX-5349, or Iron, was my tail gunner, my best friend, and my brother. We had been together since the very beginning, and had served together in every major battle of every planet's orbit that this war had touched thus far. Master Kento had saved our lives during the battle of Geonosis when our ship was shot down just above orbit and crashed right in the middle of the battle, a very bad place to be.

"Alright kid," I said, knocking the last droid off of his tail "You're clear."

"Thanks, Mermaid." Malakai said, pulling away

I veered away and rejoined the battle, dodging a set of rockets that came directly for us. Iron was blasting like crazy behind me, and I knew we must've picked up a lot of droids. I began evasive maneuvers, trying to lose them, but to no avail. The scanners still indicated they were hot on our tail, and not going anywhere anytime soon.

"Commander," I said over the com "I scratched your back, think you can scratch mine?"

"No problem." Malakai's response came

I glanced upward, spotting his starfighter veer back towards us, blasting at my tail. One by one, the droid ships on my scanner began disappearing, until they were gone entirely. I let out a sigh of relief, realizing how lucky we had been, any longer and they would've shot us down.

"Thanks," I said "Good shooting sir."

"Don't mention it," Malakai said "Master, it looks like the droids are in retreat."

"That means planet surface is about to open up," Iron said "That's two hours, Mermaid you owe me two credits."

"Dammit," I laughed "I thought they'd put up more of a fight."

"Well, the planet surface will have plenty of droids," Kento said "Prepare the men, it's time to land."

 **Malakai**

 **Kashyyyk surface**

"Landing is gonna be rough." Captain Gregor laughed

"You can say that again," I said, gripping the railing tight as the ship rocked again "This is definitely my least favorite part."

"I love it," Gregor laughed "What if we get shot down? What if we make it? The odds are exciting!"

"And you," Another clone said as the ship touched down "Are certifiably insane!"

The doors opened and I ignited my lightsaber, jumping out ahead of the clones and taking point. I blocked a blaster bolt and looked around at where we had landed, wondering if there was a chance we could end this quickly. We had touched down on a beach, and the droids were barricaded behind a giant wall, blasting at us from above and pouring out onto the beach. Clones began rushing forward, taking cover inside holes that had been blasted on the beach. I tossed my cloak off to give myself better movement, and then rushed forward with the troops. I could see my master's lightsaber across the beach, two more blades behind him, a blue and green one.

"They want this planet so badly they threw four Jedi at it?" I asked Gregor as we jumped into one of the holes

"Four?" He asked, following my gaze "Oh, two lightsabers. Nah kid, that's General Secura."

I blocked another bolt and sent it back at the droids, who were advancing down the beach and beginning to overrun the clone positions. It was taking every fiber of my being not to duck down in the hole and scream, I was a symbol to the clones around me, I may only be a padawan, but I was still a Jedi, I needed to lead by example, so I did what Master Kento was doing.

"Let's go!" I yelled to the clones behind me "Move up!"

I jumped out of the hole and moved up, followed by the clones. Gregor was yelling and laughing with every droid he shot down, and I realized that the clone from the ship had been right, he was crazy. Of course, this was my first battle, maybe you just got like this after you fought for so long.

"Kid, you're crazy!" Gregor yelled to me, blasting another droid "Running right into the fight like this! I love it!"

"Just following my master's example!" I yelled back, nodding over to Kento

Aayla Secura was now beginning to come into view as she fought her way closer to us, attempting to reach my position. Clones all around us were getting shot down, and I was amazed that I wasn't dead yet, but I knew focusing on that too long would get me killed, so I shook off the amazement and forced all of my focus into the battle. Aayla had finally made her way to me and she gave me a reassuring smile before turning away and resuming the fight.

"Hold right here!" She called to the clones "We're going to need a foothold!"

"Somebody call an airstrike on that wall!" Gregor yelled

"Mermaid!" I yelled into my com "I need an airstrike!"

"Where at sir?" Came his response

"Where do you think?" I asked back, deflecting another bolt

"Ahhh, copy that," He responded "I see it, alright boys, hit that wall!"

A squadron of ARC-170's flew over our position and hit the wall hard, effectively blowing it to pieces. I felt the massive heat wave rush over me, and I was forced to look away until it had died down. When I looked back, the wall that the droids had been hiding behind was nothing more than piles of scorched rubble, and the droids and tanks behind it were now firing directly into the clones, who were furiously returning fire.

"Keep moving!" Aayla yelled, waving the men forward

I ignited my lightsaber once more and rush forward with the clones, blocking blaster fire as I went. Gregor stood next to me, firing as fast as his weapon would go, taking down a droid with every shot. Eight TX-130's brought up our rear, blasting the droid tanks. I blocked another bolt and slashed a droid down, using the force to push back a squad of droidekas as they were rolling up.

"Look out kid!" Gregor yelled, pushing me out of the way as a rocket whizzed by me

I hadn't even seen it, and if Gregor hadn't pushed me out of the way I would've been blown to bits. I didn't have time to dwell on how close I had just come to death, because the droids made one, final, desperate move. Every droid that had been behind the wall, every droid hiding in the trees, every single one of them rushed out at us, firing furiously. The clone behind me took a blaster bolt to the chest, and the one right next to me caught it in the head.

"Here they come boys!" Gregor yelled, firing back "Hold your ground!"

I deflected a bolt and sent it back at the droids, and then another. Blaster bolts were flying all around me, and I could barely move fast enough to deflect them. The droids were bearing down on us fast, and all clones and tanks were firing as fast as they could, but at least two clones went down for every droid that went down.

"Move!" A clone said, dragging another out of the way "We-"

He never finished, because a blaster flew out of nowhere and struck him clean in the neck. He slumped to the ground and I cut down a battle droid that had gotten close to us, actually, I cut down several. What was left of the droids had finally reached us, but they were badly outnumbered by this point. The clones immediately fired, punched, kicked, and bashed at anything metal.

"Get off me!" Gregor yelled, flipping a droid onto the ground and firing into it's head

Not all the clones fared so well, some went down under the sheer power of the droids. Although they weren't smart, when it came to brute strength, they definitely had the advantage. I sliced down two more droids and kicked one back, Aayla force pushed an entire squad of droids backwards, right into a canister of explosives. I slashed down a super battle droid and deflected a bolt back into another droid, while Gregor used me for cover.

"We've taken the front!" Gregor yelled to the men behind him "We've got a foothold boys, we've got a foothold!"

A cheer rose up and I realized that Gregor was right, the clones were finishing off the last pockets of droids attempting to retreat, but we had total control of this landing zone. I turned off my lightsaber and let the clones go to work, they didn't need me anymore.

"Glad to see you're still in one piece," Master Kento's voice sounded from behind me "I'll admit, I was worried about you."

"I can handle myself," I told him "Or at least, in this instance."

"It's good to see you, Kento," Aayla said, approaching us "And I don't believe we've met."

"This is my padawan," Kento said, grinning proudly "Malakai Wolshor."

"Pleased to meet you," She said, smiling at me "You've trained him well old friend, you've demonstrated skills as a warrior beyond most other padawans I've seen."

"Thank you, Master." I told her

"Oh you can cut with the formalities," Kento laughed "Trust me, it's gone out the window with a few of the Jedi, and Aayla here is one of them."

"Finally," I sighed "I thought I was going to have to be like that for the entire battle."

Kento and Aayla laughed, and I cracked a smile. The clones were setting up communications and more troops were landing on the beach, securing the spot we had just fought so hard to take. I knew we had to take the planet, and I didn't think the Separatists would give in easy. The two masters walked away from me, discussing strategy and what they needed to do to take the rest of the planet, leaving me standing on my own. I headed off in the other direction, intending to recover my cloak. I was disappointed to only find a few pieces of it back where I had thrown it off.

"Hey, kid!" Gregor called from behind me "Come on over here!"

I headed to wear Gregor and four other clones were seated down inside a crater that had been blown on the beach. Even though I technically outranked the clones, I felt so low standing next to them. Most of them were already battle hardened soldiers, and I was just a kid, barely thirteen.

"You did good today," Gregor said, tossing me one of the rations they were passing around "Keep that up, this planet will be in Republic hands in no time."

"Still a long way to go," I sighed, taking a bite of the rations "Hopefully, the droids won't put up much of a fight, but I sense a presence, a very dark one."

"Uh huh," One of the clones said "And exactly how attuned is that Jedi sense of yours?"

"For the most part," I admitted "I'm not good with the force except for combat, as to sensing and bonding, never been very good at it, so I could just be paranoid."

"Well, it's better to stay on our guard just in case." Gregor said

I nodded and fell silent, while the clones talked and laughed. I started thinking to back home, something I did very often. I wondered what Faren was doing, or Dad. Dad was probably drinking, doing his scrap and harvest trading in between, and Faren was probably scrapping and fixing pod racers, just how we used to when we were together. Faren wasn't force sensitive like I was, I had to leave him behind when I had gone to the Jedi temple. He was a year younger than me, and I hated leaving him with our father like that.

"Hey," One of the clones said "What about you, Commander?"

"What about me what?" I asked, jarring back into reality

"What will you do when the war is over?" Gregor asked me "It'll end someday, we've all got to go somewhere once it's done with."

"I don't really know," I admitted "I haven't exactly thought much about it."

What would I do? I mean, I would stay at the temple and be a Jedi, but what would I do? What would the clones do once they'd outlived their purpose? Would they simply be put down after fighting for the Republic? What would the Jedi do? After the war, we would go back to being peacekeepers, but exactly how big would the job be after the galaxy had just gone through a war? So many questions that needed answers, and I might not even live to get them.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **GR-8659: Gunrack**

 **17:00 hours**

 **Faleen**

I ducked down as a blaster flew right past my head, striking the clone behind me. Rex stood in front of me, firing rapidly at the droids in front of him, waving for all of us to do the same. Skywalker, Kenobi, and Tano were all using their lightsabers to deflect blaster fire, and most of the troops were using them as cover.

"Rex!" Skywalker called "Take the men and push up, we've got them on the run!"

"You heard him boys!" Rex called back to us "Let's go!"

We rushed forward, firing into the crowd of droids. I struck one in the head, and another in the chest. The clone next to me was struck with a bolt, and then the clone behind him. I ducked down as another bolt flew over my head and returned fire, taking down a super battle droid. Skywalker jumped over me and sliced down four droids and waved us forward, and we rushed in.

"Gunrack!" Skywalker yelled back to me "Help Ahsoka!"

I looked over to where he was nodding his head and saw that Commander Tano was struggling to move her men forward. They droids were pounding her with artillery and they couldn't even get out of cover, which meant that gun had to go.

"Arrow!" I yelled "Hit that gun!"

Arrow was standing behind me and nodded, pulling his rocket launcher off of his shoulder. He fired, striking a clean hit, and blowing the gun apart. As soon as the flames settled, Tano jumped out from cover and waved for her men to come forward. I saw Fancy shooting from behind her, Clip just behind him. Bravo was nowhere in sight, but I knew he was okay, he always seemed to pull something out of the air.

"Sir!" I yelled to Skywalker "Snipers in the buildings on the side of us!"

No sooner had the words left my mouth, the clone in front of General Skywalker was struck in the head by a sniper from above us. Kenobi blocked another and we began to fall back into cover, hoping to get a lock on the snipers.

"I can't see them!" Skywalker yelled "Hawk! We need you to hit these coordinates!"

"We're on it." A response came from his com

A few starfighters flew over us and hit the building with rockets, effectively taking out the snipers. We moved up, still under fire by the droids in front of us. The goal was to take the town square and establish a base, which was proving much easier said than done.

"I'm hit!" A clone yelled, dropping to the ground

He had a blaster mark on his stomach, and the medic rushed to pull him away from the battle. I fired into the line of droids in front of us, still ducking shots. Skywalker deflected a blaster bolt back at the droids and then jumped behind us.

"Grenades!" He yelled "Now!"

I pulled a grenade from my belt and tossed it into the droids, ducking behind some rubble as I did so. I heard several grenades go off and I stood up and fired into the droids, who were now severely crippled. Those that hadn't been caught in the explosion were now retreating into the town square, making their final stand.

"Hold here!" Skywalker yelled as we began to pursue "Hold!"

"Sir?" Rex asked

"We're going to have to outflank them," Kenobi said "There isn't any way we can push straight in, we'll have to come from different directions."

"Get me a map." Skywalker told Rex

Rex set up a small box which projected a holographic image of the city, indicating our position as well as the Separatist's position. Skywalker studied the map for a moment before turning to Kenobi, clearly having a plan.

"I'll come in straight," He said "Ahsoka, you come in from the left, Obi-Wan, you come in from the right."

"But that leaves right here open," Tano pointed out "They have an escape route."

"It doesn't matter if they escape," Skywalker said "Only that we take the square, we'll worry about the remaining droids after we have it."

"It's not very well thought out," Kenobi mused "But then again, we don't exactly have much time for thinking at the moment now do we?"

"No," Skywalker agreed "We don't."

"Alright," Rex said "Fancy, Gunrack, Arrow, Bravo, Clip, you're with Commander Tano, you'll provide covering fire from up top in this building here. Cody and his men will go with General Kenobi and force their way in from the side, I'll go with General Skywalker and we'll push in from here."

"Yes sir." Clip said

"Alright boys!" Skywalker yelled "Let's move out!"

 **Padawan Aradella Parikasa**

 **Coruscant: Jedi temple**

"You aren't acting like yourself today, Aradella," Master Gallia noted "Is something wrong?"

"No, Master," I said "I'm just worried about Malakai is all."

"I have watched you and Malakai for many years," She said "Malakai is an outstanding warrior, he will return to us."

"He's reckless," I said "Undisciplined, doesn't know when he's beaten."

"Much like his master," She laughed "Much like Anakin Skywalker, much like so many Jedi."

"I just don't want to lose him," I told her "He's my best friend."

"You must let go, young one," She said soothingly "When it is Malakai's time to be one with the force, then it is simply his time. This world will live on, you will live on, weather he lives or not."

"I know," I sighed "I just can't help it sometimes."

"You're still young," She said "You will hone your abilities, in time. Now come, Senator Amidala is heading back to Naboo, and the council has selected us as her escort."

"I hate flying." I muttered

"I never was a fan of it either," Master Gallia admitted "But until we can just teleport to another planet, flying is the only way."

"Just so long as Master Skywalker isn't flying again," I said, remembering that moment very unfondly "I think I'll be able to handle it."

"Say what you want about his flying," She said "But he did get us away from those pirates."

"He got them on us in the first place." I reminded her

"So he did." She agreed

We walked in silence to the senate building, which I was grateful for. I didn't like talking, and I didn't like sharing my feelings. Malakai was even worse about it than I was, and it was actually what had brought us so close together. We confided only in eachother, and we knew things about eachother that nobody else did.

 _She's right,_ I told myself _Malakai is going to be fine, I have nothing to worry about._

When we finally got to the senate building, Senator Amidala and her guards were already waiting for us by their ship. She smiled warmly at us and I tried to return it as best I could, but I felt it had come out more of a grimace.

"I'm glad to have such a skilled Jedi as yourself to be my escort, Master Gallia," Padme said once we had boarded and sat down "And I do not believe we have met, I assume you are her padawan?"

"Yes, Senator," I said "Aradella Parikasa."

"It's lovely to meet you," She said "I think you'll like Naboo, it's a beautiful planet."

"Anywhere is better than Tatooine." I said

"You're from Tatooine?" She asked, interested

"Yes ma'am," I said "Me and a friend of mine, Malakai, both from the same place."

"Malakai?" She asked "Malakai Wolshor?"

"You know him?" I asked, surprised

"Of course," She laughed "He and Kento Marek escorted me to a negotiation about a year ago, Malakai saved me from a group of bounty hunters."

"Ah yes," Master Gallia laughed "I remember that, Master Kento wouldn't shut up about it for weeks, boasting to anyone who would listen that his apprentice had skills with a lightsaber to match that of Anakin Skywalker."

"Come to think of it," I said "I do remember Malakai and another Padawan fighting over that, I don't know who it was but it was something about challenging Malakai to a fight because of what his master said."

"A promising warrior," Senator Amidala said "Rivaling Master Skywalker, I'm not sure about that one just yet."

"He had the exact same thought." I told her

"I should assume he would," She laughed "He was such a humble boy, a little too humble. Seemed more inclined to believe that it was the fog prevented the bounty hunters from being able to hit him, or the bounty hunters just being terrible shots."

"When it reality?" Master Gallia asked

"When in reality he blocked every single shot that came his way," Amidala said admiringly "What happened to him? I had heard a rumor that he had been killed in the war."

"Killed?" I exclaimed

"Malakai only just left for Kashyyyk," Master Gallia said "With his master."

"Oh, I heard it a few weeks ago." Amidala said

I let out a small breath I had been holding in, if she had heard a few weeks ago, then Malakai would be alright. I let my mind relax and tried to calm myself the way Master Gallia had taught me, I found it worked best if you thought of a happy memory that put your mind at peace, one that you could get lost in. I chose memories of Malakai and I sitting on the balcony of the temple, looking out over the Coruscant skyline. Malakai always knew how to calm me down, and I focused on specific memories where I would be worried about something and Malakai would comfort me.

"Aradella," Master Gallia was saying "Are you there?"

"Yes," I said, shaking me head "I'm sorry, Master, I zoned out."

"Well, as I was saying," Master Gallia said "Aradella is quickly on her way to becoming a Jedi Knight, and soon after, a Master. She certainly has the potential, I just wish you could learn specific abilities you will need."

"I guess not all things are very easily taught." Padme laughed

I knew exactly what abilities, or rather _ability,_ that Master Gallia was referring to, my ability to let go, to be at peace with everything that happens, no matter how bad it was. I had yet to master this, like Malakai going away for example.

"I've never been good at certain things," I admitted "I've always been better with my use of the force than of my lightsaber."

"I've noticed that many Jedi seem to be divided between that," Padme said "Many are better with their lightsabers, others are better with the force."

"We try and help the Padawans balance it." Master Gallia said

I let myself zone out again, going back to my memories of Malakai. I pictured him out on the battlefield, fighting for his life with his master and the clones. I found myself wondering, again, if Malakai was going to come back at all.

 **Malakai**

 **Kashyyyk surface**

 **19:00 hours**

 **Battle information: After securing a foothold on the beach, the grand armies of the Republic, led by the brave Commander Malakai Wolshort, General Kento Marek, and General Aayla Secura, the clone troopers managed to push the CIS back. While the far, uninhabited side of the planet is still seeing the majority of the conflict, clone morale is high due to the constant win rate in battle. Commander Malakai Wolshor will be leading a battalion of clones into battle to take down a droid communications tower, the hope is that this will provide a distraction, allowing Generals Marek and Secura to eliminate the main droid encampment, all but ensuring a victory for the republic. Commander Wolshor has reported a strange feeling of darkness, as have the two Jedi generals. All troops are warned to be on the lookout for Count Dooku or Asajj Ventress, or possibly even General Grievous.**

"Sir," Hoss whispered from behind me "All the men are in position, waiting on your signal."

"Stay hidden," I told him "Take your shots from inside the trees, until we've picked off the majority of them."

"What about you sir?" He asked

"I'll draw their fire," I said "It'll allow you to get a lock on exactly where they are and where to shoot."

"Yes sir." Hoss said

"After I give the signal," I said "Move in and cross the bridge with me, we'll take out this outpost and call for the droid reinforcements, once they get here we should have the explosives in place and they'll walk right into the trap."

"And then General Marek and General Secura will move in and secure the main droid camp," Hoss said "Effectively wiping out a good chunk of their army."

"So we're all clear on the plan then?" I confirmed

"Yes sir," He said "Do you still feel that disturbance?"

"Yeah," I said "And it's much closer than it was."

Hoss said nothing, simply sank back into his position to wait for my signal. My plan was stupid and crazy and it just might get me killed, but it could also possibly work. If I went out alone, the droids would focus fire on me and then the clones would be able to get a lock on them, picking them off much easier.

"Here goes nothing." I said, jumping from the tree

I landed in the center of the clearing, nothing between me and the communications tower except for for a bridge and a ton of droids. I ignited my lightsaber, it's blue blade shining brightly in the dark, illuminating my form.

"Jedi!" One of the droids cried in alarm "What do we do?"

"He's outnumbered!" Another called "Blast him!"

The droids opened fire and I deflected the bolts back at them, taking out a few. The clones returned fire from behind me, lighting up the droids. The clones had taken up positions in the trees surrounding the front of the bridge, and the droids were forced to fall back quickly, allowing us to move up.

"Let's go!" I yelled "Now!"

Clones burst from the trees, falling in behind me and firing at the droids. I stood in the open, deflecting blaster bolts back at droids while the clones took cover either behind me or behind crates on the bridge. We were only able to get about halfway across before the droids started taking up positions and returning fire. Suddenly, that feeling I had been having became very overwhelming, whatever it was, it was very close now.

"Fall back!" I said, recognizing the feeling from old stories told around the temple "Get off the bridge, fall back to the clearing! Now! Go!"

The clones immediately began leapfrogging backwards just as a figure emerged from the radio tower and two lightsabers appeared, their red blades glowing menacingly in the dark. I deflected a bolt at her but she knocked it away, into the sky. A clone next to me shot at her and she deflected it back into him, scoring a head shot.

"Master!" I called into my com "Master Kento! Master Secura!"

"Malakai?" Kento's voice came "I didn't expect you to be done so quickly, excellent work."

"We're not done, we're falling back!" I said "Master, that feeling, it's a Sith!"

"A Sith?" He exclaimed "Are you sure?"

"She's standing right in front of me!" I yelled "I'm pretty sure!"

"Retreat!" He said "Aayla and I are on our way!"

"I can't retreat!" I said, looking around "We can't go on foot in these woods, get here quickly!"

I raised my lightsaber and deflected a bolt back into the advancing droid army. The Sith, who I know could see was a girl, was advancing at a leisurely pace, knowing she had all the time in the world. The clones were firing frantically, taking down a droid with every shot, but they were coming too quickly. I charged forward and slashed a droid in half, the clones following me. Soon, the two armies crashed into eachother, and the sounds of shooting and guns banging off bodies began.

"Push them back!" I yelled "Hurry!"

The Sith girl slashed down two clones and rushed me, swinging her lightsabers. I blocked them with mine and pushed her back, swinging for her neck. She parried and lunged at me but I jumped over her, swinging downwards and colliding with her lightsabers.

"A padawan," She spat, disgusted "I left the main camp looking for the source of power I felt and the most powerful of the three Jedi on this planet is a padawan?"

"I wouldn't get cocky," I warned her "I tend to defy expectations every now and then."

"I am Asajj Ventress," She boasted, blocking another saber strike from me "I have killed Jedi more skilled than you with a simply flick of my wrist, you have nothing I haven't seen before."

"I'm Malakai Wolshor," I said, blocking her left saber "I haven't killed any Sith yet, but I'd like to go ahead and start the count."

I swung at her with all my strength and managed to knock one of her lightsabers from her hand. She resumed the battle with one saber and I ducked as she swung for my head, and came up with intent to disarm her other lightsaber. She was quick, and very skilled in martial arts. She planted a foot on my jaw and pushed me backwards, jumping at me and slicing down a clone in the same move. I stuck my hand out and used the force to push her and few other droids backwards, but she didn't stay down long. She dove at me and I kicked her backwards, making her roll. She force pulled me with her and we both tumbled off the side of the bridge, to the rocks below. I used the force to push myself into the wall and then kick downwards and break my fall a little, while Ventress landing on her feet, her lightsabers falling just a few feet from her.

"You fight well, boy," She said, pulling her lightsabers back to her hands "But the Jedi ways hold you back, you could have absolute power."

"You're really trying to convince me to turn to the dark side?" I laughed "Barking up the wrong tree, it's not power I'm after."

"What is it you seek then?" She asked as the battle raged above us "I can see into your mind, you cannot hide your feelings from me."

"I'm not hiding anything," I said, igniting my lightsaber again "I will not be turned to the dark side, I am a Jedi."

"You are a pawn," She said, igniting her own "So be it, if you will not join me, you will die."

She swung her lightsabers again and I blocked the strike, backing up and taking a swing at her. She jumped backwards, aiming a kick at the side of my head, which I ducked. I swung again and she blocked, attempting to use her other blade, but I backed up and deflected. She was getting frustrated and it was beginning to show, her attacks were coming less coordinated and more desperate swings. I kept myself on defense, using an old trick that Master Yoda had taught me. Defense used less of your energy, and the best way to win a battle was to stay on defense until your opponent tired down, and gave you an opening.

"Malakai!" A voice called out above me

I jumped back just as Master Secura landed in front of me, both of her lightsabers in her hand. She began a fierce battle with Ventress, forcing her back and using the advantage of experience. I jumped in to help and managed to cut Ventress's leg, causing her to scream in pain and anger.

"Surrender," Aayla said, leveling her one of her lightsabers at her "You're beaten, witch."

"I am not beaten," She spat, knocking her blades away "I will destroy you, Jedi scum!"

With those words, she leaped high into the air just as a droid ship flew over us, catching her and taking her away. I watched her disappear as the clones attempted to stop her, firing at the ship until they couldn't even get a clean shot anymore.

"Malakai!" I heard Kento call from above us "Aayla! Are you alright?"

"We're fine!" Aayla yelled back "Come, Malakai, you must be quite shaken up."

"A bit." I admitted

The clones sent down a ship to pick us up and bring us back to the top, where the clones were now overwhelming the droids inside the communication tower. I hadn't been aware of how tried I was until that moment, now that everything had calmed down.

"I must say," Master Aayla said "That was brave, stupid, and very impressive, facing down a Sith like that."

"You held your own against Asajj Ventress," Master Kento said, excited "You might've won too! Wait until the council hears about this, you'll be made a Jedi Knight for sure!"

"What I would like to know," Aayla said "Is why was she here, on this outpost? It seems like she would've been in the main camp."

"She said something about sensing a powerful Jedi, the most powerful of the three Jedi on this planet," I said "She came here to wait, because this is where she sensed it."

"You?" Master Kento asked "She sensed you?"

"It looks like it," Aayla said "Asajj Ventress came here hunting Malakai, not aware that he was only a padawan."

"I don't think it matters if I'm a padawan or not," I said "She's out for Jedi blood."

"I'll file a report with the council later tonight," Kento said "Malakai, get in the ship and head back to the base and get some sleep. I'll have bombing runs all over the front throughout the night, tomorrow morning we'll go in and pick up the pieces. After that, this planet should be almost entirely under republic control except for a few pockets of droids, but they won't need Jedi to help clean them out."

"Yes, Master." I said, bowing

I headed back to the gunship, where Hoss and the rest of my men were waiting for me. Hoss nodded at me when I got in, and I knew I had impressed him. Gregor was easily impressed with recklessness during a battle, Hoss was an entirely different story. I had earned Hoss's respect by facing down Ventress, and I had earned the trust of the clones who I served with, the key to commanding a successful squad. I found myself thinking about Aradella as the ship flew back towards the main base, boy would I have a story to tell her when I got back.

 **Hey guys, so as I said I'll only do intros and stuff when I got important stuff to tell you. So if you would like to see what Malakai and Aradella's lightsabers look like, head to facebook and type in Fanfiction Author (Profile pic is the same as on here) Soon, I should have drawings of the two of them so keep a lookout for that. Anyways, God bless.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Ahsoka**

 **Falleen**

 **18:00 hours**

 **Battle information: Led by Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Ahsoka Tano, the 501st Legion and 212th Battalion have all but secured Falleen, and are making the killing blow to the CIS troops at this very moment. The main CIS base stands as the command center for the droids that are on planet, if taken, it could prove as a valuable asset in scoring a Republic victory.**

Fancy and Gunrack sat on either side of me, peering out the windows of the building. We had been sent up with two turrets and a couple rocket launchers, the surprise attack would begin any moment now. Facny sat awkwardly, like he was very nervous.

"Calm," I whispered to him "Stay calm, we're much safer up here."

"I know," He whispered back "This stuff is just really nerve racking."

I knew what he meant, and I recalled how I had felt just before my first battle. I was so jittery, I was so scared. I had only made it through because of Master Skywalker, he was my mentor, my friend, in some way, just like a father to me.

"There's the signal!" Bravo exclaimed "Let's go!"

I heard the sound of fighting begin below us, and the clones scrambled to their positions. Fancy and Gunrack fired rocket launchers down onto the tanks while Arrow and Bravo fired with the turrets, Clip would snipe them down. Fancy fired first, then Gunrack. I saw two tanks go up in flames, and Arrow and Bravo let loose with their turrets. Clip picked his shots, taking a droid down with every squeeze of the trigger. I deflected bolts when the droids realized where we were, and by then, Obi-Wan was moving in with his men.

"Take that clankers!" Gunrack laughed, blasting another tank

I deflected another bolt and my com buzzed, it was Master Skywalker. I wondered what he could possibly need, his troops looked fine from here, perhaps he just wanted to make sure I was doing my job correctly, it wouldn't be the first time.

"All good here, Master," I said, answering the com "Nothing to worry about."

"That's great, Snips!" He yelled back "But we're pinned down, take down those turrets!"

I looked around until I saw what he was talking about, two turrets positioned about thirty feet in front of the clones, rapid firing their position. Bravo adjusted his aim and fired on it, lighting it up with blaster holes. The droids were burried behind a wall, and Bravo couldn't get a shot.

"Fancy!" I yelled "Hit that nest! Gunrack, hit the other!"

Without question, they adjusted their aim as well and fired into the nests, blowing them to pieces.

"Yeah!" Gunrack cheered "Stupid battle droids!"

I cracked a smile and deflected another bolt, sending to back down to the droids, who were beginning to retreat. The clones had now entered the main camp from both sides, and the droids had a wide retreat route, but they weren't taking it. Suddenly, I saw why, they had reinforcements pouring through it.

"There!" I yelled, pointing "Take them out!"

Bravo and Arrow fired into the mass of droids pouring into the base, taking them out quickly, but they were only replaced by more droids. Clip fired steadily, not missing a shot. Fancy and Gunrack had run out of tanks to hit and were simply firing into groups of droids and blowing them up, we had more than enough rockets to get the job done.

"Master," I said into my com link "It looks like we have the droids on the run."

"Not so fast!" He responded "Here comes more of them!"

Four squads of droids and three tanks had just entered the base, and were firing into the clones. Five of them disappeared in a giant ball of flame when one of the tanks fired into the lines, Fancy and Gunrack quickly adjusted their aim and fired, taking down one of the tanks. The droid reinforcements had now seen us too, and they began to return fire at us. A second tank exploded, and a third immediately afterwards. The clones began to move forwards again and I could now see Master Kenobi and his men coming from the side, meeting up with the 501st.

"Heads up!" Clip said "We've got another lightsaber!"

"Another what?" I asked, looking around

Before Clip could answer, I saw a red lightsaber moving through the droid ranks, deflecting shots from the clones as he moved. It took me a moment to realize who it was, and I wasn't exactly happy to see him, Count Dooku had joined the battle.

 **Malakai**

 **Coruscant orbit**

 **12:00 hours**

 **Battle information: Bravely led by Masters Kento Marek and Aayla Secura, the 428th Legion of clone troopers has secured Kashyyyk and are wiping out the last remnants of the CIS droids on planet at this moment. The battle of Kashyyyk lasted one week and three days, nearly 60,573 clones were killed during the defense of Kashyyyk. In addition, Padawan Malakai Wolshor has encountered a Sith in battle. The Sith, who fled upon arrival of Jedi Masters Marek and Secura, has now been identified as Asajj Ventress, the apprentice of Count Dooku. Now that Kashyyyk has been secured, the clones and the Jedi were called back to Coruscant to rest, Kashyyyk will serve as a vital supply route and will bring about the end of the war much quicker.**

"We've entered the atmosphere, sir." The pilot informed us

"Good," I muttered "I can't wake to be back on the ground again."

The battle of Kashyyyk was won, and we were returning to Coruscant. I hadn't contacted Aradella yet, as I wasn't even sure she was back from the temple yet. I had been told that she and Adi Gallia had left for Naboo with Senator Amidala, a long trip from Coruscant.

"You did good out there, kid," Hoss told me "Real good, we'll make a soldier out of you yet."

"I'll admit I had my doubts," Gregor said "But I agree."

"Jedi aren't meant to be soldiers," I said "We're keepers of the peace."

"Well there's no peace right now," Hoss said "So what's that make you?"

I shrugged, knowing he made a good point. I stayed silent during the drop down into the planet, and I felt the turbulence rock the ship back and forth a bit as it entered. I looked out the front window where the pilots were and saw the city of Coruscant sprawled out in front of us, the Jedi Temple looming over the it in the background. I was home, finally. I didn't realize how much I missed the peaceful life at the temple until I had left it, and now that I was back, I wasn't in any hurry to leave again.

"We'll be landing in hanger three," The pilot said "Commander, you have someone waiting for you in the hanger."

"Who?" I asked

"Some girl," He said "A padawan by the looks of her, at least that's what the clone in the hanger said."

Aradella was waiting for me? That meant she had returned from Naboo. I saw hanger three come into view and the pilot brought the ship down to it, bringing it down on the dock that had been marked for our ship. Inside the hanger, I saw clones and engineers running back and forth, fixing ships, moving parts, and providing ships in the air with a place to land. At the far end of the hanger, I saw two Jedi standing by the doorway. The ship touched down and the pilots opened the doors, letting us out. Master Kento and Master Secura had headed to another docking bay, but now I knew why I had been brought to this one instead. Aradella stood by the door, smiling as I approached. Standing next to her, was her master, Adi Gallia.

"Malakai!" She said, hugging me once I had gotten close enough "I'm glad you're back, you wouldn't believe the rumors that have been going around."

"Rumors?" I asked her

"Yeah," She laughed "People are saying you faced down Asajj Ventress, and that you killed General Grievous."

"Fifty percent." I shrugged

"What do you mean?" She asked

"I didn't kill General Grievous, in fact he wasn't even there," I said "However, I did face Asajj Ventress."

"You did what?" Aradella asked, complete shock on her face

"This is why we called him to this hanger rather than letting him go with Kento," Master Gallia said "The council would like to speak with you, Malakai."

"Why didn't you tell me that it was true?" Aradella asked her "I did ask."

"And I said we would ask Malakai," She shrugged "I didn't lie, in fact, I didn't believe it myself."

"Why does the council want to see me?" I asked

"Why do you think?" She asked, raising her eyebrows "Come along."

"Where's your cloak?" Aradella asked as we began walking

"It kind of got blown up." I shrugged

"Kind of?" She asked

"What's left of it is still on Kashyyyk." I sighed

Aradella laughed and Master Gallia ushered us into an elevator, pressing the button up to the council chambers. I had never been summoned by the council before, and I had no idea what to expect. I had very rarely even seen a council member, as they mostly sat up in their tower except for Master Yoda and Master Windu, who frequently walked through the temple. Master Obi-Wan spent more time in the temple than anywhere else when he was on planet, so it was hard to remember he actually was part of the council.

"Don't be nervous," Master Gallia told me as the elevator stopped "You're not in any trouble, they simply want to know what happened. Aradella, I'm afraid this is where we leave you."

"Good luck," She whispered to me as we exited "Remember to bow and stuff."

I grinned as the door shut and the elevator left the floor, heading back downwards. Master Gallia motioned me down the hallway, towards the council chambers. I had never even been this high up before, it was kind of nauseating. All of us hoped to one day be Jedi Masters and sit on the council of course, but we all knew that only a handful of us would even be considered, and even then still none of us might make it.

"Just through here." Master Gallia said, nodding to a door on our left

I steeled my nerves as the doors opened and Master Gallia led me inside, where the council was waiting for me. Master Kento and Master Secura already stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by council members seated in their chairs. Some chairs had holograms rather than a physical person, others had nobody at all. Master Gallia took her seat and I went to stand by Master Kento, who gave me a grin when as I approached him.

"As I was saying, Masters," He said, returning his gaze to the council "I think, due to his display of strength and bravery, Malakai should be allowed to graduate to the rank of Jedi Knight."

"Jedi Knight?" Master Windu asked, raising his eyebrows "You want us to grant him the rank of Jedi Knight?"

"I think he has shown he's more than capable of the title." Kento argued

"And," Master Yoda spoke "What think you of this, Padawan Wolshor? Earned the rank of Jedi Knight, have you?"

"I don't know," I admitted "I just did what I had to do, do I really need to be praised for doing my duty to the Republic?"

"Your duty is not to the Republic," Master Shaak Ti reminded me "Your duty is to the Jedi Order."

"Fine," I shrugged "Then I did my duty to the Jedi Order, however you want to look at it, I fought a Sith. Either way, it was a service to the Republic and the Jedi, both of which considered her an enemy. Do I think I should be given the rank of Jedi Knight for doing it? No, I don't. I'm perfectly content to stay a padawan, I'm barely thirteen, I'm not ready to be a Jedi Knight yet."

"The words he speaks, true they are," Master Yoda said "Deserve praise, one does not, for simply doing their duty."

"His duty was to go to Kashyyyk and help us win the battle, when I came to you and asked permission to take Malakai with me even though he was far below the normal age that a padawan first steps out onto the battlefield, you were sending him to fight droids and take Kashyyyk," Master Kento said "None of you, not one, thought you were sending him to a place where he would fight a Sith."

"It is true," Ki Adi Mundi, actually, his hologram, spoke up "I would be lying if I said I knew Asajj Ventress was even on the planet, we did not send him to fight a Sith."

"We're not even listening to what Malakai said," Master Secura said, cutting off Master Windu "He has already turned down becoming a Jedi Knight for the time being, we're simply debating something he has already refused."

I nodded gratefully to Master Secura, who gave me a small smile in return. This is why I didn't like to involve myself in political affairs, why I didn't like the idea of standing in front of the council. They rarely listened to anything a padawan said, and they probably only even summoned me just to humor Master Kento. Padawans were the little brothers you don't take seriously, and it was being shown right here. I had outright refused and stated I wasn't ready to be a Jedi Knight, and instead of dropping the matter, they continued to debate on weather or not I had earned the title.

"We did not summon you only to humor your master," Master Windu said, fixing his gaze on me "We summoned you here to listen to what you had to say, what happened on Kashyyyk?"

I told them what had happened right up to when Master Secura arrived, about the attack, my plan, my plan going wrong, what Ventress said about me being to most powerful Jedi she had sensed, I left nothing out. I felt as if some of the council didn't believe me, as if they thought this was some sort of scheme devised by the three of us for some purpose or another.

"An incredible tale, this is," Master Yoda said "For a padawan to have taken on Ventress and lived, powerful he must be, indeed."

"And what if it's just that?" Master Even Piell said "A tale?"

"Have I ever given you a reason to doubt my word?" Master Secura asked "I swear to you on my honor as a Jedi, what Malakai says is true."

"If Master Secura will vouch for you," Master Windu said "Then I do believe you. Asajj Ventress is a dangerous threat, for you to have fought her, it is a most impressive feat for a padawan."

"Yes, impressive it is," Master Yoda said "And a sign. If, more powerful than his master, Malakai has become, then training he will need, to hone these powers."

"Special training," Shaak Ti said "We will have to take him to a place where the force is strongest, somewhere where he can focus."

"I'm sorry," I said, holding my hands up "Back up just a second, what's the difference between our normal training, and this special training?"

"You will be taken to a planet, one that is very strong with the force," Master Mundi said "Normally, we don't take younglings there due to the things they will have to face, things that even some of us haven't faced."

"Things like?" I asked

"You'll find out," Master Ti said "If you survive these trials, then your powers will become much clearer to you, and you will be able to delve into the force in ways that even we cannot."

"Survive?" I asked

"With time, answered your questions will be," Master Yoda said "Who will take you, the questions is now."

"Masters-," Master Kento began

"No," Master Windu said, cutting him off "You can't take him, Kento. It must be one of us, one of the council."

"Might I volunteer myself?" Master Ti asked

"Return to Kamino, to oversee the training of the clones, you must," Master Yoda told her "Forgotten your duties, have you?"

"I think the Kaminoans can see to them in my absence," Master Ti said "But I would like to accompany Malakai."

"Very well," Master Windu said "If there are any opposed, speak now."

None spoke, in fact, they all looked like they thought it was a good idea. I had heard tales of Master Shaak Ti's legendary skills as a warrior and her mastery of the force, and it made me feel much better to know I would be traveling with her.

"Then it's settled," Master Ti said happily "We'll set out in the morning, at first light."

"I feel like this should've come up a few minutes ago," I said "But where exactly will we be going?"

"Dagobah," Master Ti said "We will be going to the Dagobah system."

 **Anakin**

 **Falleen surface**

 **18:30 hours**

"Ahsoka!" I called into my com "Can you see where all these droids are coming from?"

"Yes, Master," She replied quickly "They're coming in from the back, it looks like it was an ambush."

"They've lured us in!" I yelled to Rex, deflecting a blaster bolt "We may have to fall back!"

"Sir!" Rex called to me "Maybe we can turn the situation around!"

"And how would we do that?" I asked him

"Well," He said, firing at the droids "Have Fancy and Gunrack hit that building right there, knock it over onto the droids, it would take out most of them."

"But if it falls the wrong way, it'll hit us." I told him

"Then we'll have to move fast," He shrugged "Your call, General. Either we retreat, or we just level that building and see where it gets us."

"Fancy," I said into my com "Gunrack."

"Yes, sir?" They responded quickly

"Hit the building directly across from you at the base, knock it down onto the droids." I ordered them

"Sir," Fancy protested "That's crazy, it's gonna fall on you."

"Just trust me," I told him "Hit the building."

"Master," Ahsoka said "Your plans get crazier and crazier everytime I hear them."

"Actually," I said, deflecting two more blaster bolts "This one was Rex's idea."

"Well stop letting Rex come up with plans then." She said

I laughed and returned my full focus to the battle, deflecting bolts back at the droids. I could see Obi-Wan's men coming in from the other side, and I could also see the red blade of Count Dooku had now engaged him. I wanted so bad to rush him, but the plan dictated I stay here and do my part for everything else to work out right. Two rockets blazed to life off the balcony of the building above us, striking the designated building right at the base, it didn't fall, but it did tilt.

"Hit it one more time," I said "That should do it. Alright boys, fall back! Let's bring the droids right in the path!"

The clones began getting up from cover and running down the street, making sure the droids were following us. This entire plan had 501st legion and Anakin Skywalker written all over it, which meant it was almost impossibly crazy and just might work.

"Hold here!" I yelled to the clones

We had only retreated about twenty or so feet, but it was more than enough. As soon as we were back in cover, two more rockets slammed into the building, this time, it fell. Although I was a grown man, I still thought it was one of the coolest things ever to see something blown up, who didn't? The building collapsed directly onto the droids, who had been marching up the street after us, clearly intending to overrun us. Dust was immediately thrown up into the air and I was blinded, but it didn't stop the clones, who fired into the dust at where the droids had been, eliminating any stragglers.

"Alright!" I yelled back to them "Move up! Go!"

They let out a cheer and rushed forward, firing blindly into the dust. I deflected a few bolts that had come out and charged in after the clones, able to see nothing and sense everything. There was a droid immediately to my right, and I cut it in half, blaster bolt coming straight for my head, I deflected it. We moved out of the dust and back into the main base, where the droids were now in chaos, after a huge chunk of their army was just crushed.

"Take them down!" I yelled to the clones "Push them back, take this base in the name of the Republic!"

 **CK-7345: Clip**

 **Falleen surface**

 **18:35 hours**

"I cannot believe that actually worked." Commander Tano said in disbelief

"Neither can I," Gunrack laughed "But that was awesome, it fell right on top of em!"

"That's gotta be the luckiest thing I've ever seen," Fancy said "Including that time Gunrack's leg caught on that pole when he almost fell off the side of the bridge back on Kamino."

"That was scary," Bravo said "This, this was just awesome."

"Can we do it again, Commander?" Gunrack asked excitedly "This time, let's hit that tall one, with the spire on it."

"We're not here to level the city," Ahsoka reminded him "We're here to take the planet."

"Well, I mean, it _is_ a warzone," I shrugged "These things do tend to happen."

"Regardless," She said, grinning "I will agree that was the coolest thing I've ever seen, but we can't do it again."

Gunrack and Fancy returned their attention back to the battle raging below us and I began picking off droids again, Bravo and Arrow sprayed rounds into what was left of the droids, who were showing absolutely no sign of retreat. General Skywalker moved quickly, slashing down droids as he went, making his way over to where General Kenobi and Count Dooku were engaging in a lightsaber duel.

"Hey," I laughed, picking off another droid "I think I've killed the most droids so far, you boys had best catch up."

"Sorry," Gunrack said, as though he didn't hear me "Did you not see the building we just dropped on half the CIS army?"

"Environment," I told him "Indirect kill, doesn't count."

"What?" Fancy laughed, firing another rocket "How does that not count."

"You used the building," Arrow said, spraying down a group of droids "You have to make the kill yourself."

"Picky picky picky." Gunrack matter, firing into a droid tank

I took another shot and Commander Tano deflected a bolt back downwards. She was doing a great job of covering us, and I liked sitting up here picking our shots instead of sitting down in the battle not able to concentrate.

"It looks like the droids may have more reinforcements on the way." Arrow said, pointing off in the distance

I looked over and saw that he was right, four more squads of droids were making their way into the base, already firing down onto the clones. The droids weren't giving this base up without a fight, and they were taking as many clones with them as possible.

"Try and hit them with rockets before they break up," Ahsoka said "They're still in formation."

Fancy and Gunrack fired into the droid formation, taking out a good portion of them. They scattered as Arrow and Bravo let into them, taking down even more. I picked off the stragglers as the clones took what came towards them, and some of the droids were firing upwards at us, realizing where we were.

"Ahsoka!" Skywalker's voice came through the com "Get out of there, now!"

"What?" Ahsoka asked "But we're winning, the droids can't even hit us."

"Dooku's broken away!" He yelled "He's escaped from me and Obi-Wan!"

"What does that have to do with us?" Ahsoka asked

"He's in the building!" Skywalker yelled "He's inside and he's probably coming up after you, you have to get out of there now!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **BK-7392: Bravo**

 **Falleen surface**

 **18:40 hours**

"Move!" Ahsoka yelled, suddenly panicked "Go! Quickly!"

"Leave the guns!" Fancy yelled to us

We bolted for the stairs, intending to go down them, but somebody was already waiting for us. An old man, with a balding head and a white beard, wearing old robes and a cape, a lightsaber in his hand. Although he appeared to be very old, something told me that his age wouldn't be holding him back.

"Dooku," Ahsoka said, activating her lightsaber "You move quickly, for an old man."

"Lower your weapons," He said to us, activating his lightsaber "I'd hate to have to kill you all."

Something clicked inside me, and I lowered my weapon, but quickly raised it again, realizing I wasn't required to follow his orders. Those stupid Kaminoans had done something to us, and we followed every order without hesitation, and it was sometimes confusing on who to follow.

"You're outnumbered," Gunrack spat at him "Lower _your_ weapon, and we just might take you prisoner."

"You're in no position to make threats, clone." He said calmly

He said the word clone like it was an insult, and I supposed it was. Something we, actually all clones, were very touchy about was our identity. We hated being treated as if we weren't men, as if we were just some expendable droid, like our lives didn't matter. Just because we were cloned from Jango Fett didn't mean we weren't individuals, and it struck a nerve with us if somebody said otherwise.

"Master Skywalker is on his way here now," Ahsoka said confidently "I may not be powerful enough to defeat you, but I can hold you until he arrives."

"When he does," Count Dooku laughed "He will find only your bodies."

Ahsoka jumped at him and we fired, he deflected the shots and blocked Ahsoka's lightsaber. As they battled on the stairs, a squad of super battle droids marched up the stairs behind him and opened fire on us, we scattered to cover and fired back. I struck one in the head and he tumbled down the stairs, but four more were close behind.

"Commander!" Arrow yelled, watch your back

Ahsoka kicked Count Dooku backwards and he tumbled over the railing, landing on the staircase below us. Ahsoka jumped down after him, leaving us to finish off the battle droids. She sliced three more as she fell and then vanished from our view, but we could still hear their lightsabers clashing below us.

"Come get us you stupid clankers!" Gunrack yelled at them, firing

We mowed down five of them and a few more came up the stairs, but it was looking to be the last wave. A quick glance to the battle below us showed the droids retreating from the base and the clones, led by Generals Skywalker and Kenobi, now swarming in. We moved down the staircase to gain some ground, firing downwards at the advancing droids. I struck two and the other four went down easily, leaving only one super battle droid at the bottom, firing rapidly at us.

"I can't get a shot at him," Arrow said "He's firing exactly where we'd step out."

"Somebody needs to draw his fire." Gunrack said

"Cover me," Clip said, ducking down "The second I'm out, start shooting."

Before we could say anything, Clip rolled out into the open, narrowly avoiding the blaster bolts. They went right over his head and the droid paused for a moment to adjust it's aim, and we took our chance. I dove out behind Gunrack and we opened fire at the droid, striking him in several different spots at once.

"Quickly!" Fancy said as a massive crash sounded from the lobby of the building "Something tells me Commander Tano's in trouble."

We hopped the railing down the stair case and bolted into the lobby, where Ahsoka had been knocked unconscious and Count Dooku was bearing down on her. We only had a split second to act, and we all fired at him. He deflected the first few bolts, but one got under his guard and struck him in his sword arm. He cried out in pain for a moment before having to switch his lightsaber to his other hand, and Clip rushed him. We continued to fire while Clip swung his weapon, almost striking him.

"Is Clip doing what I think he is?" Arrow asked, still shooting

"Ahhh yes he is." I said, nodding

Clip grabbed Commander Tano's lightsaber and turned it on, swinging at Dooku. I wasn't sure if there was some sort of penalty for a clone taking a Jedi's weapon, but I was sure it would be overlooked considering the circumstances. Clip kept close enough in that Dooku couldn't try to use to force without getting his hand chopped off, and we continued to fire. Clip swung, Dooku deflected, Dooku swung, Clip ducked. Clip handled the lightsaber well, but I knew he wouldn't last long if we didn't take Dooku down quickly.

"You meddlesome clones!" He yelled in frustration, taking another shot at Clip

Clip deflected and came in, looking for a kill, but Dooku blocked the blade, pushing Clip back. I let loose a quick, three round burst, hitting his leg with one. He yelled in pain again and took a desperate swing at Clip, missing his face by inches.

"Dooku!" A voice yelled from the door way

General Skywalker stormed into the lobby, followed by Kenobi and several clones. Dooku knew he was outmatched, and he kicked Clip backwards, sending a wave of lightning at the four of us. We took it full on and we were thrown backwards, pain wracking out bodies. I looked up just as Clip swung at Dooku one more time, and Dooku ducked under it, and slashed Clip right in his chest.

"Clip!" I yelled, trying to push myself up

Skywalker rushed Dooku but he was already going up the stairs, attempting to escape. Even for an old man, with a wounded arm and a leg, he moved pretty quickly. Rex and Cody rushed to us help us up while a medic ran to Clip and another to Ahsoka, checking them out.

"Clip!" Gunrack called, pushing Rex out of his way

We all ran to where he was collapsed, Commander Tano's lightsaber still clutched firmly in his hand. The medic pulled his helmet off and felt his pulse, trying to save him. There was a burn mark on his chest where the lightsaber had slashed him, and I already knew it was too late.

"I'm sorry," He said, looking back at us "He's dead."

"Clip, no!" Arrow said, kneeling next to him and shaking him "Come on you stubborn bastard! You can't die on us!"

Ahsoka was coming to, and she crossed the room to see what was happening. General Kenobi stood behind me, watching, pity in his eyes. General Skywalker came down the stairs, looking defeated, and he headed over to where we were all gathered.

"Arrow," Fancy said gently "He's dead, he's gone."

Arrow stood, glaring down at Clip's body, like he was trying to force him to come back to life. It didn't feel real, Clip, the guy we had grown up with, trained with, fought with, he was dead. General Skywalker put a hand on Arrow's shoulder, nodding at him. Arrow picked up Clip's body and looked at us, pain written on his face, as I knew it was on all of us.

"We'll make him pay," Arrow said "Won't we."

"Of course," Gunrack said angrily "We'll get him, and he will face clone justice for what he's done."

"And what exactly is clone justice?" General Kenobi asked

"Execution," Cody said "A very slow and painful execution."

"I'm sure the Republic wants him as a prisoner." Ahsoka reminded us

"Then they had better hope that the Jedi get to him first." Rex shrugged

"Captain, notify the fleet," Skywalker said to Rex "Let them know we've taken Falleen."

 **Master Shaak Ti**

 **Lightspeed: On course to the Dagobah system**

 **09:00 hours**

I felt the fear and confusion in Malakai's mind, and I felt him trying to control it as best he could. It was difficult for him, I knew that much, as he had never been to the Dagobah system and had no idea what to expect from it. I left him alone to his thoughts, letting him focus on the task at hand, and calm himself. We were going alone, no clones or other Jedi had been allowed to come with us. I left the ship on autopilot and had come back to meditate, and I could sense the system getting closer and closer.

"Master?" Malakai asked suddenly

"Yes?" I asked him, looking up from my meditation

"What's on Dagobah?" He asked "What's there specifically that makes it different from all the other training we did?"

"This planet harbors a great connection to the force," I told him "Good, as well as evil. It is there that you will face your worst fears, the most powerful enemies."

"I thought we were facing our worst fears when we were training to become padawans." He said

"You faced your worst fears as you knew them," I explained "Here, you will face things you didn't even know you were afraid of."

"Sounds fun." He sighed

"We're coming out of lightspeed," I said, looking out the cockpit "When we land, keep your mind guarded. Things lurk in this planet, if they sense your fear, they will attack."

"Yes, Master." He said as we came out

The planet loomed in front of us, and I slid into the pilot's seat, while Malakai sat down in the co-pilot's seat. He checked the scanners, and seemed surprised for a moment, as though he couldn't believe what it was that he was seeing.

"Yes?" I asked him, amused

"The scanners are dead," He said "They've just gone completely down."

"This planet does strange things," I said "Worry not, we're going to be fine."

We entered the atmosphere, and I used the force to guide me through the fog. There were nothing but trees and water for miles, no way for us to land, and I sensed that we were going to have to move to another part of the planet.

"Master, I feel something," Malakai said "I feel...cold."

"Where?" I asked him

"To the left," He said "Thirty clicks I think. I feel something, like a presence. One I haven't felt since I was nine, so long ago."

"It appears we know where to start then." I said

I steered the ship to the left and kept going, waiting for Malakai to tell me when to let down. He sat in the chair, his eyes closed, and I could sense his mind racing and feeling the area around him. I wondered if maybe his feeling had passed, but now I sensed it too. Malakai was right, I felt cold, anger, hatred, a lust for power.

"Here," He said, opening his eyes "Right here."

I set the ship down, tearing through the fog. The feeling was getting stronger, and I knew that we were in the right place. Malakai would have to go in alone, and I would wait by the ship. Something was biting at me, something I couldn't quite put my finger on, I would meditate on it while Malakai was away. The ship passed through the fog and I saw a clearing below us, plenty big enough to land. I felt a small jerk as it touched down on the planet floor, and I killed the power.

"Come." I said, rising

Malakai followed me outside the ship, and into the cold Dagobah air. I could see my breath in front of me, and that feeling was getting much stronger. This was a very dark place indeed, and it was exactly where Malakai needed to be.

 _What if this place corrupts him?_ I found myself wondering _What if he comes back and he has turned to the Dark side?_

I pushed the thought aside, Malakai was strong with the force, much too strong to be corrupted easily if at all. Sure he wasn't as strong as Master Yoda or Anakin Skywalker, but he was much more balanced than Skywalker, which was why the council hadn't sent Skywalker here.

"You must go into the forest," I said, pointing to a small path that led into the surrounding forest "I will be waiting for you."

"How do I know when to come back?" He asked

"You will know," I told him "Trust in the force. In this forest, you will be tested, you will be tempted, but above all, the Dark side will try and seduce you, you must resist."

"So I'm going in at the risk of falling to the Dark side," Malakai said skeptically "And I'll just magically know when I've passed my test?"

"The Dark side is dangerous," I warned him "And it is not to be taken lightly, when you return, you will be much stronger and wiser with the force."

"This had better be worth it." He sighed, steeling his nerves

He turned away from me and headed into the forest, staring straight ahead. I headed back inside to meditate, maybe I could figure out what that feeling was. I wondered if maybe I should have gone with him, a Jedi like him falling to the Dark side wouldn't be a very good omen.

 **Malakai**

The feeling was getting much stronger, and I could no longer feel Master Ti, which made me feel very much in danger. It was comforting feeling her light and knowing she was there, but now I couldn't feel her at all, it was like she wasn't even on the planet with me.

"What exactly am I looking for?" I wondered out loud

"Typical of the Jedi," A voice boomed out, making me jump "Send you out, never knowing what you might face, not even knowing what to look for."

 _Well, there's a start._ I thought

I looked around, looking for the owner of the voice. A tall figure stood behind me, wearing old black armor and a strange mask. I had seen pictures of them and I recognized exactly what it was, ancient Sith armor. He didn't draw a lightsaber, and I felt no need to draw mine.

"Who are you?" I asked him

"Darth Revan," He said "I too was once a Jedi, just like you."

"And you fell," I finished, remembering the stories "You were beaten in battle by a Sith Lord, and your war torn mind was easily corrupted."

"Corrupted?" Revan asked, amused "No, young Jedi, enlightened. I was shown the true ways of the force, I was given power, great power."

"It seems we have differing views on the true ways of the force," I said "So, are you here to tempt me with the Dark side?"

"No," Revan said "This is not my intentions, no I come with a warning. You remind me much of myself, young Jedi, I take pity on you. If you continue down this path, you will not like who waits for you at the end."

"Who?" I asked

"He is not who you once knew," Revan warned me "He has been dubbed Darth Redeemer."

"Who?" I asked "By the force, don't keep me in suspense."

"I will not tell you," Revan said "Just know you have been warned, if you continue, they will try and tempt you. If you continue, he will engage you, and you will set in motion events that you may not be able to handle."

"I'll take my chances." I said, turning away

"Very well," Revan sighed "I warned you, continue at your own peril."

Revan vanished, leaving me alone. I hadn't felt anything from him, and he was definitely unlike the legends of Sith I had heard, who were known to be ruthless warriors. It felt so unlike what I had heard of them to simply show up to warn me, I was a Jedi, shouldn't Revan hate me? I kept walking down the path, looking around, prepared for another ancient Sith to show himself.

 _Calm yourself,_ A voice in my head said _You must tune your senses, keep yourself focused on the task at hand._

 _Who are you?_ I thought, exasperated _Another Sith?_

 _No,_ The voice said _My name is Qui Gon Jinn._

 _Master Kenobi's old master?_ I asked _Aren't you dead?_

 _Yes and no,_ He said _I can't explain, as I don't quite understand it myself. However, when you return to the Jedi temple, it is crucial that you tell none that I spoke to you._

 _But you haven't even told me anything yet,_ I thought _It's hardly even worth mentioning._

 _I am simply here to guide you when you need it,_ He responded _Listen to the force, and you will come away much stronger than before._

After that, he went silent. I felt the presence getting stronger, and I wanted so badly to turn back, but I couldn't. Despite how much danger I knew I was in, I needed to finish this, and figure out who Revan was talking about.

"Stop Jedi!" Another voice boomed "And face me!"

This time, the Sith appeared in front of me. He wore ancient Sith armor and had a scarred face with cruel eyes, and he stared at me with intense hatred. I didn't recognize him, but he looked as if he knew who I was. I knew that the sarcasm I had used with Darth Revan wasn't going to fly with this guy, but then again, visions can't hurt me.

"And you are?" I asked him

"Do you not recognize the greatest Sith warrior to ever live?" He demanded "I am Darth Bane. I am a legendary Sith warrior, I created the rule of two."

"A master and an apprentice," I said "To keep the Sith from destroying eachother, you created the rule of two."

"So you have heard of me," Bane said, taking a lightsaber from his belt "Good."

"Everyone at the temple as heard of you," I said, also drawing my lightsaber "You saved our greatest enemies from total annihilation."

"Good, good," He said "Put your lightsaber away, boy, it will only make things worse for you."

"You can't hurt me," I said, keeping my lightsaber in my hand "You're a vision, you aren't real."

"Is this what the Jedi would have you believe?" Bane laughed "That I am dead? That I can do nothing to harm you?

"You are, and you can't." I said forcefully

"You're a fool," He laughed "The Jedi can do nothing for you, you will never reach your full power as a Jedi, but as a Sith, you could be the most powerful of our order."

"Your order is dead," I said, activating my lightsaber "It hangs by a thread, with the deaths of Asajj Ventress and Count Dooku, it will die and fade away permanently."

"You are much more strong willed than the last of your kin I met," Bane said, activating his lightsaber "Impressive, if you will not be turned, you will be killed."

He rushed at me and swung his lightsaber, aiming for my neck. I deflected the blade and slashed his chest, scoring a direct hit. I was surprised at how easily I had just beaten the greatest Sith warrior ever known, but then again, he was only a vision and meant to scare me. Had that actually been Darth Bane, the real Darth Bane, I'd be dead. Without a sound, he vanished into a cloud of fog.

"Your fear betrays you," His voice echoed "You will die here, if you will not turn to the Dark side, it is the only thing that can save you."

I deactivated my lightsaber and looked around, making sure he didn't appear behind me. I wasn't entirely sure that visions couldn't hurt you, especially when powered by the Dark side, but I definitely wasn't eager to find out.

"So I've resisted the Dark side," I muttered "And yet, I don't feel like I'm done."

"That's because you have yet to face me!" A voice yelled suddenly

"Oh what now?" I demanded, frustrated with these stupid Sith visions

That feeling got overwhelming all of the sudden, and somebody dropped down from the trees a couple feet in front of me. He wore black robes and a black cloak, with his hood pulled over his head. Something felt familiar about him, but I couldn't place it. I felt his anger, his hatred, and his confusion.

"Who are you?" I asked him

"I am Darth Redeemer," He said, drawing his lightsaber "I already know who you are, Malakai Wolshor."

"How do you know who I am?" I asked him, readying my lightsaber as well

"We go way back." He said, lowering his hood

When I caught sight of his face, my heart dropped. I knew exactly what Revan was talking about in that instant, exactly what he had meant about not liking who I would find. This had to be a vision, a trick of the Dark side, something, anything.

"Darmik?" I asked, completely and utterly shocked "You're alive?"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys, just a heads up, there is a specific part of this chapter where Anakin described Malakai's lightsaber as he's looking at it, so if you would like to understand what he's saying when he names off specific parts, head to facebook and look at the picture I have for Malakai's lightsaber, the name is Fanfiction Author, or you can go to Saber then take a pause (but no space) type in parts then put a dot and a good ole com in there and Kaboom, just place the parts that Skywalker names off, and make sure you put them in this order, Emitter, Body, coupler, pommel because if you put the coupler before the body, it puts it in the wrong spot. Anyways, yeah just place the parts he names and then stick a blue lightsaber blade on and that's what Malakai's lightsaber looks like, or check it out on Facebook. God bless, and let's go.**

 **Chapter 5**

 **Malakai**

 **Dagobah surface**

 **12:00 hours**

"Oh yes," Darmik said "Alive and well, brother."

The word stung, as if he had meant it as an insult. This was just a vision, it would go away, this was a trick of the Sith. A weakened mind would be easier for them to take over, so they were trying to confuse me. I could feel the Dark side of the force all around me. It felt hostile, like an unfriendly animal, so unfamiliar due to the other side I'd known, mean and angry just like it's owner.

"You're a trick," I said "You're not real, you're dead."

"On the contrary," He said, activating his lightsaber "I am very much alive, the man who took me kept me very safe."

His red blade illuminated himself and the ground around him, shining brightly. I activated my own, sure that this vision of Darmik would attack, but he didn't. Instead, he stood, rooted to the spot. He made no moves to come closer to me, and I stood where I was, waiting.

"I told you I was going to come back for you and Faren," He said "I told you that when I returned I would be powerful, and we could go off on our own, just the three of us. But you couldn't wait, you grew jealous and bitter, and _you_ had to be the one with power."

"Then man who took you was a Sith," I told him "I don't want power, that's just what they've drilled you to think. I'm not jealous, and I'm not bitter."

"I know exactly who the man who took me was!" Darmik shouted "He promised me the thing I had longed for, the thing you feared, he promised me control!"

"Control over what?" I demanded "Did you really think that your master, whoever he is, would just let you take control of the galaxy? The Sith always betray one another, Darmik."

"My master and I will destroy the Jedi, once and for all," He growled, advancing "Starting with you."

"You're a vision," I said, trying to convince myself "You're not Darmik."

He lunged for me, swinging his lightsaber downward. I blocked his first strike and parried with one of my own, attempting to go for the throat. He pushed the strike away and pressed me back, trying to get inside my guard. He proved much more difficult than the ghost of Darth Bane I had fought, which confused me. Clearly this vision was meant to do a little bit more than scare me, but what exactly was it's purpose?

"You've grown much stronger with the force." Darmik noted, blocking a strike from me

I said nothing, just continued pressing my attack. Darmik ducked a swing from me and came up, looking to put his lightsaber into my chest. I knocked it away, forcing him to back up. I swung high, he parried, he swung low, I parried. We went back and forth in a dangerous dance, where missing a step meant certain death. I had to keep reminding myself that visions couldn't hurt me, but I wasn't so sure anymore.

"You are weak, brother," Darmik taunted, slashing at me "The Jedi have twisted your mind, you're afraid of power."

"No, I'm afraid of what power can do," I said, deflecting his blow "I'm afraid of the corruption it can give, I'm afraid of the evils of it."

Darmik slashed downward at me and I blocked, slashing back in response. He kicked me backwards, rushing at me as I stumbled, attempting to catch me off guard. I rolled backwards and came up, pushing my lightsaber at him. He blocked it and swung at me, I threw my lightsaber up and they caught eachother, and Darmik and I began pushing on eachother's lightsabers, attempting to gain the upper hand. I knew I couldn't use my strength against Darmik, he was much bigger than me, I had to put some distance between us.

"You put up a better fight than I thought," Darmik said "I am impressed, brother, I truly am."

"I'm full of surprises," I said, gritting my teeth with the effort "After all, I did learn from you."

"I suppose teaching you and Faren everything I know wasn't the smartest move," Darmik admitted, pushing "But it doesn't matter, my master has taught me a few new tricks, some that the Jedi would never show you."

He took one hand off of his lightsaber and extended it, lightning shooting from his hand. My lightsaber dropped from my grasp and I flew backwards, my body wracked in pain. I screamed in agony, feeling every little pulse as it arced through my body.

"Weren't ready for that," Darmik laughed, stopping "I am going to kill you, Malakai, slowly and painfully."

He swung his lightsaber and I pulled mine to my hand, activating it. I caught his blade just in time, pushing it away. I jumped to my feet and rushed him, but I was still groggy from the force lightning. Darmik swept his lightsaber around mind, grazing my face in two quick slashes. I felt a burning pain on my face, on my left cheek just below my eye. I cried out in pain and Darmik used the force lightning on me and sent me flying backwards, slamming into the ground.

"I HATE YOU!" I screamed through the pain "YOU'RE NOT MY BROTHER! YOU'RE A MONSTER IN MY BROTHER'S BODY!"

"Now, brother," He said, listening to my screams of pain echo throughout the forest "You will-Ahhh, another Jedi?"

I heard another lightsaber activate and footsteps sounded behind me. I laid on the ground, writhing in pain. Occasionally, a pulse would pump through my body, giving me spasms. Master Ti stepped over me, pulling my lightsaber into her hand and turning it on as she walked.

"Yes, another Jedi," She said "And I think you'll find I'm much more of a challenge than a padawan."

 **Master Shaak Ti**

I ran through the forest as quickly as I could, heading towards Malakai, who I could now sense again, with that presence, the Sith. I had sat down to meditate, to see if I couldn't get a lock on that feeling. I had never felt a Sith before, and it had taken me longer than I'd care to admit to realize what it was. It had been strictly forbidden by the council for me to interfere, but no doubt they hadn't anticipated this.

"Another Jedi?" A voice asked, making me stop dead "Going for the youngling?"

"Who are you?" I asked as a figure appeared in front of me "What is your name, Sith?"

"I am Darth Revan," The figure said "I do believe you've heard of me?"

"Of course," I said "But if you'll excuse me, your trying to tempt me with the Dark side will have to wait."

"I did not try and tempt the youngling, and I will not try and tempt you," Revan said "I am simply here to warn you, the duel that takes place is not for you to interfere, Jedi."

"I will not allow Malakai to face a Sith on his own," I said "He did it once without a choice, this time, he will have aid."

"Beware then, Jedi," Revan said "The one that this Malakai faces, he is not a normal Sith. His family goes back generations in the Sith, he is powerful, and will become more powerful still."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked him "Aren't you a Sith? Shouldn't you despise Jedi?"

"Perhaps I feel guilty for what I did," Revan said "Perhaps this specific aspect of my spirit was still good, who knows."

"Very well," I said "I have heard your warning, but I must help him."

"Then I allow you to pass, Jedi." He said, fading

As I went to start running again, I heard screams of pain from far ahead of me, and I sensed a spike in the force. I ran as fast as I could, wishing I had just sensed this Sith much earlier. I heard the sound of lightsabers ahead, and I knew I was getting close.

"I HATE YOU!" I heard Malakai's voice screamed in agony "YOU'RE NOT MY BROTHER! YOU'RE A MONSTER IN MY BROTHER'S BODY!"

I could sense anger and hatred welling in Malakai, and now I could see them. Malakai was on the ground, another figure in a black robe was standing over him, a red lightsaber in his hand, shocking Malakai with lightning. He was saying something but stopped dead when he saw me, even letting the lightning stop flowing at Malakai. I ignited my lightsaber and stepped forward, pulling Malakai's lightsaber to me.

"Ahhh, another Jedi?" He asked, raising his eyebrows

"Yes," I said, igniting Malakai's lightsaber "Another Jedi. And I think you'll find I'm much more of a challenge than a padawan."

He lunged at me with a battle cry, and I swept his blades to the side. Malakai wasn't moving on the ground behind me, and electric currents kept pulsing through his body, forcing him to jerk suddenly. He had an X shaped slash under his left eye, covering his entire cheek and bleeding very badly, I had arrived just in the nick of time. I found myself looking at the Sith's face as we battled back and forth, each shot aiming to kill. He looked like an older version of Malakai, almost sixteen maybe.

"Malakai never has been able to take care of himself," The boy said, blocking one of my lightsabers "It was always me saving his sorry ass, every single time he got in trouble."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, parrying a shot

"Oh, you can't sense it?" He laughed "Malakai and I are brothers, or does he never mention me?"

I pushed him away and struck back with renewed force, attempting to unbalance him. He was trained well, clearly by a very powerful Sith Lord, whoever it was. He struck at me again, trying push me back, but I held my ground, using my two lightsaber advantage against him. He swung at my leg and I jumped, kicking him in the chest and sending him sprawling to the dirt. He jumped to his feet instantly and sent a wave of force lightning at me, which I used the lightsabers to block.

"Ahhh, it appears my time is up and my master wishes me to return," He said, stopping his attack and looking to the sky "Farewell, Jedi. I hope to meet again soon, to finish our duel."

I looked to where he was looking, recognizing a droid ship lowering itself to us, the hatch opening. Several battle droids stood on the ramp, firing down at me. I began deflecting bolts back at them, while the Sith jumped to the ramp and landed behind the droids, deactivating his lightsaber. I continued to deflect blasts until the hatch had close again and the ship turned slightly, preparing to fly away. In one, final, desperate attempt, I hurled a rock at it with the force, striking the side but doing no damage.

"Master?" Malakai groaned from the ground, trying to stand

Electric pulses continued to run through his body, and he was forced back down again. The wound on his face was now bloody and burned, making him look much older than thirteen. I made my way to Malakai, keeping an eye out for the returning Sith, but I never saw him. The fight had been so short, he knew he would be beaten, he knew he couldn't stand toe to toe with a Jedi Master for long, so he took his opportunity to leave the second it had presented itself.

"Did I pass the trials at least?" Malakai asked as I knelt down next to him "I resisted the Dark side, that has to count."

"I'm afraid you didn't pass the trials," I said "However, we have bigger problems to worry about at the moment, it seems."

"I guess I was wrong," He said as I lifted him up to carry him back to the ship "Visions can hurt you, especially when they're powered by the Dark side."

"That was no vision," I said "Visions, my dear boy, do not leave scars."

 **Obi-Wan Kenobi**

 **Coruscant: Jedi Temple**

 **19:30**

"Now that Falleen has been taken," Anakin was saying "The Republic has a foothold in that area of space, giving us the advantage we're going to need against the Separatists."

"Good news indeed, this is," Master Yoda said "Closer to an end, the war is coming."

"And with a Republic victory," Master Windu said "What is your next plan of attack, Skywalker?"

"I actually would like to request some time off," Anakin said, shooting me a glance "Ahsoka and I both could use a break from the war, as could our men."

"Agree with this, do you?" Master Yoda asked, looking to Ahsoka

"Yes, Masters," Ahsoka said "I do agree, both Master Skywalker and I could use a break, the clones as well, we've been out constantly."

It was unlike Anakin to request a break from the action, and considering whenever he got one he spent most of his time in the senate building, well one couldn't help but wonder why he was simply trading one war for another, but I kept my mouth shut.

"We'll ask Master Kento to continue the campaign in that system," Master Windu said "Although I'm sure he'll want to wait until Malakai returns before setting out."

"Thank you, Masters," Anakin said, bowing "If that will be all, I think-"

He stopped suddenly as the council door opened, and two people stepped inside. One was Master Shaak Ti, who smiled in greeting at us. The other was a boy, a padawan judging by the braid hanging off his hair, he looked to be about thirteen years old, dressed very similar to how Anakin was, his hood pulled down off of his black cloak to reveal a bandage on his face.

"Master Ti?" Master Windu asked "Padawan Wolshor? Might I inquire what happened on Dagobah?"

"Another Sith," Master Ti said solemnly, taking her seat "Malakai, if you will kindly step to the center and tell the council what happened."

Anakin and Ahsoka stepped aside, giving Malakai room to stand. Ahsoka and Malakai exchanged friendly glances before Malakai turned to face the council, something clearly bothering him. He began his tale of what had happened, I had not been aware of what had transpired while I was away on Falleen, so I asked him to start from the beginning. When he finally finished, he was met with nothing but open mouths from the entire council.

"A Sith?" I asked "How is this possible, there are only two Sith known in existence, Count Dooku and Asajj Ventress. With the exception being Darth Maul's master but it was never proven he was anything more than a rogue assassin trained in the Jedi arts.

"It appears that somebody is training him," Malakai said "It could be Count Dooku, it could be this unknown Sith master, I have no idea."

"Who was this Sith?" Master Windu asked "Did he ever give his name."

"Revan warned me," He said, almost as if to himself "Revan warned me I wouldn't like what I found, who I found, yet I went anyways."

"His name," Anakin said "What was his name?"

"To the Sith, he is known as Darth Redeemer," Malakai said, pain in his voice "To me, he was Darmik Wolshor, my older brother."

This was met with a stunned silence from the Jedi Masters seated around me, and from Anakin and Ahsoka, and from myself as well. I had never heard of such a thing, a Jedi and a Sith from the same family, it was entirely unheard of.

"Are you telling us that you have a brother?" Master Mundi spoke up "And he's joined the Sith?"

"What wasn't to understand about what I just said?" The boy demanded, a flash of anger coming to his voice

The members of the council raised their eyebrows in shock at the Padawan's outburst, and I saw him taking deep breaths, attempting to calm himself. I knew all to well how frustrating the council could be sometimes, having you repeat things two or three times before they seemed to grasp it, and reeling in your anger was a difficult task.

"Forgive me, Masters," He said, lowering his head "It's been a long day."

"Indeed it has," Master Windu says "One last thing I will ask you before you are dismissed, Malakai. What happened to your brother? Master Yoda found you when you were around ten, much older than the average Jedi, it couldn't have been much of a time difference since your brother left with the Sith and the time the Jedi found you."

"We were nine," He began "Faren and I were. Faren and I are twins, our mother was a prostitute, in one heated night of drunken passion, we happened. My father was bitter and angry about it, especially after our mother died in childbirth, Darmik's mother was never known, or at least never told, if our father even knew. Darmik was three years older than Faren and I, and one day, while were bringing in some new parts for the ship, a man in a robe came to us."

"What did he look like?" Master Ti asked

"I don't know, he was wearing a hood, but I could see part of his face, he was very old," Malakai said "He wasn't a Jedi, in fact, he seemed very angry by the thought of it. He told my brother that he could make him powerful, that he could teach him to utilize his powers over the force. Darmik left with him, promising us he'd return one day and we'd all leave together, traveling the galaxy like we always talked about, making our fortune in whatever struck our fancy."

"But he never returned?" I asked

"No, just over a year later, the Jedi found Aradella and I, we had all grown up together," He said "Faren, as you know, Master Yoda, was not force sensitive, and not taken with us. I had just assumed Darmik was dead, we all did, since he never returned for us. We grieved for him, we moved on, accepting his death. I never thought the man who took him was a Sith, I never even thought he was still alive, I thought the Darmik on Dagobah was nothing more than a vision."

"That will be all, Padawan Wolshor," Master Windu said "Go get some sleep, it would appear you are in dire need of it."

"Yes, Master." He said, bowing and turning away

He began to walk towards the door, his mind swimming. I could feel all of his emotions, confusion, betrayal, anger, hatred, hope. So many dangerous emotions with so many dangerous combinations, unpredictable outcomes. Just as Malakai reached the door, Master Yoda spoke up.

"Padawan," He said "Sense something in you, I do. Something to add, have you? A request?"

"Well, since you brought it up," He said, turning back towards us "I want to go home, Masters. My father always told us our family had a rich history of proud warriors, now that I find out my brother is a Sith, I feel things, things stirring inside me."

"You wonder if your father was not entirely truthful with you about who these warriors were?" Master Gallia asked him

"Yes, Master," He said "I begin to wonder, if just maybe these warriors he spoke of were force sensitive, and if they were, then maybe the could've been Jedi, or perhaps even Sith. Master Ti spoke to Revan as well, he said something about my family going back generations in the Sith."

"Denied," Master Windu said immediately "I'm sorry, Padawan, but we will not allow you to travel all the way back to your home world simply for a family history lesson."

"Yes, Master," He said, turning away again "I understand."

 **Aradella**

 **Coruscant: Jedi Temple**

 **20:00**

"Darmik is alive?" I asked Malakai "You're sure?"

"I'm positive," He said sadly "I fought him."

Malakai did not look like the same boy he had been when he left, like he'd aged many years since I last saw him. The scar on his face made him look much older than he really was, the medic droids had fixed it up nicely, and it was now just an X shaped scar on his left cheek.

"I'm so sorry," I said, not sure what else I could say "I really am. We're alone, you can get angry if you want."

Some of the best therapy I ever used on Malakai was letting him get angry and vent, scream, yell, slash things with his lightsaber if he needed to. I wasn't a conventional Jedi, and I had been taught by my master. Anger in itself wasn't a bad thing, it was when the anger controls and drives you that it becomes bad. We were alone on our balcony, which the security guards patrolled every now and then, but not often. Malakai didn't let himself lose his cool in front of any other Jedi, except me.

"How could I let this happen?" He exploded "I never told the Jedi about him, I never searched for him, never listened for rumors, I let him become a Sith!"

"Malakai, it's not your fault," I told him "You couldn't have done anything about this, and neither could the Jedi."

"But at least then I would've tried!" He yelled "As soon as I became a Jedi, I just forgot about him completely!"

I stayed silent, letting him mull over his thoughts. Malakai always had issues controlling his anger, and he did a decent job for the most part, but if you set him off, he was very hard to stop. I was still reeling what he had said about believing his ancestors may have been Sith, and as far as I knew, the Sith code and Jedi code were opposites, there was no rules about Sith having children, it was entirely possible.

"Now I have this whole speculation that I'm a Sith descendant," He said angrily "It's confusing me, conflicting my emotions, which I'm not even supposed to have since I'm a Jedi."

"Well," A voice said behind us "I wouldn't say we're not supposed to have emotions, it's that we're not supposed to act with them."

Malakai and I both turned quickly, in shock. Master Skywalker and Padawan Tano stood in by the stairway leading up to the balcony. Master Skywalker had an odd grin on his face, as though he had just seen something very amusing. I was still getting used to calling him Master Skywalker, as he had only recently been knighted, and still had the same short hair he'd had when we'd known him as a padawan. His padawan, Ahsoka Tano, was a close friend to me, and he gave me a small look of pity.

"Master Skywalker," Malakai said, lowering his head "I'll admit I am a bit surprised to see you."

"Well I sensed a few things in your mind as you left the council chambers," He said, leaning on the railing "Thought I'd come talk to you. It's peaceful up here, quiet, I like it."

"So do we," Malakai said "That's why we come here."

"So, I hear you've been causing quite the stir around here while we've been away." Ahsoka said, coming to stand by her master

"Facing Ventress, helping in the taking of Kashyyyk, fighting a Sith on Dagobah," Anakin counted on his fingers "I'd say you've caused a bit more than a stir. Also, I've heard a little something about your lightsaber, may I see it?"

"Heard what?" Malakai asked, handing over his lightsaber

Anakin turned it over in his hand, admiring it. Malakai had chosen an odd selection and combination of parts, but he said it's what felt the most comfortable to him. I had tried holding his lightsaber once, and it just didn't feel right, like the parts didn't go together, but he wielded it just fine.

"It appears what Master Kento told me was true, this is a strange mixture of lightsaber parts," Skywalker said, impressed "An Avenger style emitter, a Vengeance style body, a Style one coupler, and a Fallen style pommel, it feels so weird in my hand."

"It works for me," Malakai said "I put a lot of thought into it, nobody else seems to be able to hold it right."

"Good thing, I guess," Ahsoka said "If somebody were to ever take your lightsaber from you, they'd have a hard time wielding it."

"Might've been the point," Anakin laughed, handing it back "So, what were you saying about suspecting you're a Sith?"

"My father used to always grumble about how our proud ancestry of warriors was reduced to farming and scrapping on a distant planet," Malakai explained "Seeing Darmik, I'm beginning to wonder if maybe our ancestors were Sith warriors."

"You struggle with the Jedi teachings almost as much as I do from what I hear," Anakin said "Perhaps it's the Sith nature in you."

"I don't want to be a Sith," Malakai said "I'm a Jedi, I want to be a Jedi."

"Then be a Jedi," Anakin shrugged "What our ancestors did doesn't define us, you're father could've been the legendary Darth Bane himself, but if you want to be a Jedi and follow the Jedi teachings, then do it."

"I wish I could convince myself," Malakai sighed "I want to talk to my father, that's the only way I can put this to rest. I need to know if I'm wrong, or if I'm right."

"I thought you said the council said you couldn't," I said "Are you saying you're going anyways?"

"No," He said "I'd be expelled from the order for defying a direct command from the council, I'll have to wait. Maybe the war will find it's way out to Tatooine, and I'll be able to go."

"Well, I'll leave you to your debate," Anakin said "I'm heading to the senate building, I've got somebody to go see."

He walked away, leaving Malakai, Ahsoka, and I standing alone on the balcony. I could sense Malakai mulling over Anakin's words, everything he'd said. His eyes glazed over the way he did when he was in deep thought, and I knew he was dead to the world.

"Why does Master Skywalker go to the senate building so often?" I asked "Who does he go see?"

"Senator Amidala," Ahsoka said "They're very close friends. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure." I shrugged

"If I didn't know any better," Ahsoka whispered "I'd think there was something going on between the two of them, you know, romance wise."

"Master Skywalker?" I asked "Surely not."

"Like I said," Ahsoka shrugged "If I didn't know any better."

"Who cares if there is," Malakai said, coming back to reality "It's not like it's our business who does and doesn't break the Jedi code."

"Actually, it kind of is," Ahsoka laughed "Don't know if you could tell by the robes and the lightsabers but we're Jedi."

"I mean as long as we don't," Malakai shrugged "If Master Skywalker has a thing with Senator Amidala, let him, not our business."

"So, let's just humor the thought that there is something going on," I said "What do you think their children would be like."

"Well if there is something going on, then they probably shouldn't draw attention by having kids," Malakai laughed "But if they did, think about it, the diplomatic skills of their mother and the warrior skills of their father."

"They'd be a force to be reckoned with." I nodded

"If Master Skywalker had any diplomatic skills we wouldn't be in half the situations we get into," Ahsoka said "But we're going way further than maybe there's something going on."

"Yeah," I laughed "We did."

"I'm sure nothing is going on," Malakai said "Just close friends, that's all."

I rolled my eyes, thinking of how ridiculous it was that Senator Amidala and Master Skywalker would be romantically involved with eachother. I let my thoughts drift away from such silly matters, and onto other things, such as the war. How badly the Republic was losing it, and how quickly. The droids were simply being made faster than clones could be cloned, and we were outnumbered and spread very thin, I knew it wouldn't be long before I would have to go too.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Malakai**

 **Coruscant: Jedi temple**

 **One week later**

"Come on, Malakai," Leo said, kicking me to the floor again "That's the fourth time this session."

Leo Callhor was my sparring partner, and one of my best friends at the temple, other than Aradella, and a few others. Over the years I had been here, I had not grown close to many people. My master, Aradella, Ahsoka, Leo, Posshi and Hosca, the Wookie twins, and Kavis Ruana were among the few people I considered friends. Kavis and Leo were human, like me. Kavis was from the lower levels of Coruscant, where the crime mobs ran wild, and Leo was from a small farm in what was now Separatist controlled territory, Agamar. Leo was always a challenge, which is why I enjoyed fighting him. He used a double sided lightsaber, and his style mostly consisted of keeping you at bay until you tired out.

"My mind's elsewhere." I shrugged, pushing myself to my feet

" _Well, get it back here._ " Posshi grunted

Posshi spoke in the Wookie language of grunts and howls, but Jedi were trained to speak different languages, and Wookie was one of them. It was hard to learn, but once you figured it out, you never really quite forgot it. Even before I had come to the Jedi temple, Wookies used to come through the trader's post all the time, I picked up on it.

"How about you see if you can do better?" I asked him

"Actually," Kavis interjected "You can't leave this session until you beat Leo, that's the deal."

"Ugh," I groaned, igniting the training lightsaber again "I hate it when you guys drag me out here."

Leo ignited one end of his lightsaber and took a swing, taking a moment to get a feel for my approach. I blocked his first strike and came in with two quick ones of my own, forcing him to ignite the other end of his saber. He aimed a kick at my knee to take me off balance, but I swung downwards, striking and shocking his leg.

"Ow," He exclaimed, jumping back "You never do get used to those shocks."

"Might be the point." Kavis said as Leo lunged again

I jumped backwards, avoiding his lightsaber sweeping at my feet. I swung at his shoulder but he brought his lightsaber up and deflected, sending mine into a wide arc. With the opening he needed, he moved in to try for the kill, but I kicked him backwards and pulled my lightsaber in close. He rushed me again, this time, leaving his guard down, luring me in. I had fallen for that trick before, and it all but guaranteed a victory for Leo if you let yourself go in like that.

" _Finish him, Leo!_ " Posshi called

"Thanks for the support." I called back to him

Leo moved in, swinging for my side. I pushed his lightsaber away and took two clean strikes at him, one to his neck and the other to his chest. Both found their mark and he fell backwards, his lightsaber falling from his grip. He grinned up at me with satisfaction as he fell to the floor, indicating that I had won.

"See, I knew you had it in you." Leo said as I helped him up

"Training hard I see?" A curious voice asked from behind us

We turned to see Master Kenobi and Master Unduli standing in the doorway to the training room, watching us. The four of us bowed, greeting them. They bowed back and Master Kenobi gave us a small smile, while Master Unduli simple eyed us, as if we were specimens.

"No doubt preparing for the day they will all face the war," She said "As I'm sure the time will be soon."

"I sure hope so," Leo said "I'm really not liking this standing around the temple listening to everybody talk about the war."

"Yeah," Kavis agreed "I'm ready to fight."

"I think I've had enough of the war," I sighed "And I've been in one battle."

"Eventually," A new voice said, coming from behind Master Kenobi "The only place you will feel at home is on a battlefield."

"I would rather that day not come at all, Master Skywalker." I said, bowing

"Ahhhh, Anakin," Master Kenobi said "Good, I was just on my way to find you. I'm taking Cody and the rest of my men to the mid rim tomorrow, I will need you to accompany me."

"Of course, Master," Skywalker grinned "And by the way, Malakai and Kavis, I've asked the council permission to take you with me."

"And?" Kavis asked, excited

"They've agreed to allow you to come with me," Anakin said "Provided, of course, you follow my commands."

"Of course, Master Skywalker." Kavis said

"You're not taking Ahsoka?" I asked, confused

"Ahsoka is going to take a few weeks off," Anakin said "Malakai, I want the chance to actually see you in action, so I requested the council to allow me to bring you along. Master Kento readily agreed."

"When do we leave?" I asked

"We'll leave tomorrow with Master Kenobi," Anakin said "Unless, you would like to go ahead, Master?"

"No," Master Kenobi said "I think leaving together would be fine."

"Fantastic," Anakin said "My men were glad for some time off, but they're eager to return to the war."

" _Master Unduli?_ " Posshi asked " _When will I be taken to the front? I am ready to fight, to defend my people._ "

"Part of being a Jedi is patience," Master Unduli said "Your time will come soon, Posshi. But you must remember, it is not the Jedi way to go seeking a fight."

She was right, it wasn't the Jedi way. Then why were the Jedi even involved in this war? It wouldn't have been the first time the Jedi refused to participate in a war, why was this one so important? Countless other conflicts had endangered the Republic more than this one, so why jump in? We wouldn't know these answers for quite some time, but by then, it was too late.

 **Kavis**

 **The following morning**

 **Somewhere in the Outter Rim**

We stood on the command deck, Master Kenobi and I, looking out at the space in front of us. Malakai was riding with Master Skywalker, bringing up the rear behind us. I was a bit nervous for my first time out, but I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, so I allowed myself to relax a bit. There weren't enough Jedi Knights to fight the war, and the padawans had been brought in pretty quickly, but even so it was rare, and I never thought I'd get the opportunity to go, especially serving under General Obi-Wan Kenobi.

"You must calm your nerves, young one," Master Kenobi said, as though he could read my thoughts "Be mindful of the force, do not let fear cloud your judgement."

"A bit easier said than done, Master." I admitted

"I suppose it is," He laughed "With time, you will get better at it."

"General!" A panicked voice said from below us "Four ships coming out of hyperspace, just ahead of us."

"Are they Separatists?" He asked

"Yes sir," The clone responded "All fighter class, looks like General Greivous's flagship."

"General Greivous?" I asked, alarmed "Like, huge cyborg droid General Greivous?"

"I'm afraid that's the one," Master Kenobi sighed "He always has kept a bit of a grudge for me, I'm not sure it was a good idea to bring two padawans into this fight."

"Four Jedi?" I asked him "Against one droid, I wouldn't worry about it."

"Never underestimate your enemies," He said as four CIS ships appeared in front of us "Especially when your enemy is General Grievous."

"Sir, incoming transmission from General Skywalker." The deck captain said

"Send him through." Master Kenobi said, turning to face the holograms of Anakin and Malakai now sitting in front of us

"Please tell me I'm not the only one seeing this." Skywalker said

"We see them," Master Kenobi reported "Anakin, move your ships above mine, let's move to intercept our guest."

"Should we send out fighters?" Anakin asked

"Yes," Master Kenobi said "Get ready for battle, we'll have to push back these droids if we're to advance any further."

I stared out at the droid starships coming closer to us, looking ready for battle. Rumors and stories of General Grievous and his deeds against the Jedi plagued the temple all the time, especially among the scared padawans and knights who would likely be sent out to fight soon. Not all of them were true, like the one about General Grievous taking out an entire battalion of clone troopers with a pair of lightsabers. Others were slightly more believable, like the one about him killing three Jedi and their clone squads.

"Kavis," Master Kenobi said "I want you to go and find Cody, gather some men and go to the hanger. I'll meet you there shortly, it's possible that our esteemed friend General Grievous may try and board us."

"Yes, Master Kenobi." I said, bowing

"Anakin," He said, turning "You and Malakai take a small transport vessel and circle around, try and board the flagship, and take it down."

"With pleasure." Skywalker said

I turned away and hurried from the control room, making my way through the massive waves of clones running back and forth in the hallways, trying to reach their various positions. I hoped Grievous wouldn't try to get into the hanger until Master Kenobi had arrived, I wouldn't last against him.

"Attention!" A voice echoed throughout the ship "We have Separatist warships closing in fast, all fighters to your stations!"

"Hey, kid!" I heard a voice yelled

I turned to see a clone with the orange markings of a commander waving to me, Commander Cody. I ran to him, knowing that Master Kenobi had already been in contact with him. He was gathering his men and preparing for a possible assault inside the hanger, knowing it would be coming eventually.

"I hope you're good with that lightsaber," Cody said "General Grievous has a real issue with General Kenobi."

 **Malakai**

"So how exactly are we going to get a shuttle anywhere near that ship?" I asked as Skywalker and I headed to the hanger

"Well," He shrugged "We'll either fly straight into it and hope we don't get shot down, or use the cover of the battle to go around them."

"I'm liking the latter." A clone spoke up

"Me too, Fancy," Captain Rex said "General, we're all ready. Whenever you are, sir."

"We'll go in under the cover of the battle," Anakin laughed "Have Hawk focus all fire on the hanger, blow us an opening."

"No problem." Rex said as we approached the gunship

"Droid fighters closing in!" A panicked voice came from over the intercom "All hands man your battle stations!"

The ship shook and the lights flickered, a massive boom sounded from outside. I looked to Anakin, who was gripping his lightsaber. I tried to follow his lead in battle, and do what he did. He didn't wear his cloak, so I didn't wear mine. He gripped his lightsaber like a lifeline, so I did it too.

"We got hit." Anakin said "Admiral, open up the hanger doors, let the fighters on them."

"Yes sir." A voice came from Anakin's com

"Everybody into the gunship," He ordered "Move."

We jumped into the clone gunship and helped the rest of our team inside. I had been introduced to each of the clones before we had gotten on, and I now knew who they were. Rex, Arrow, Fancy, Gunrack, Bravo, Killer, and Target.

"Everybody in?" Skywalker asked "Alright, good. Pilot, take off."

"Yes sir." The pilot said, shutting the doors

I felt a small jolt as the ship came off the ground, and then I nearly fell over as it took off out of the hanger. Fancy caught me and helped me stand back up, but I knew he probably laughing under his helmet. I could only see out to front window, and I didn't like what I did see. Explosions, laser fire, Republic starfighters getting blown away, our forces were in shambles. I saw a squad of clones take down a few droid fighters, but we were badly outnumbered. We needed to get to the command ship quickly.

"Jumper! Blast!" The pilot yelled "Take those fighters out."

"Copy!" A clone yelled back

Two gunner seats under the ship blazed to life, knocking down some fighters in front of us. I knew we had to fly as quickly and safely as we could, because we couldn't hold them off forever. I wasn't sure what the plan was once we actually got inside, were we to kill or take Grievous prisoner? Were we to simply capture or completely destroy his command ship?

"Hey, kid," Rex said "When we land, let a few clones get behind you. All you'll need to worry about is blocking blaster fire, the clones will take care of the droids."

"If you say so." I said

"I like him," Rex laughed "Takes orders and advice much better than Commander Tano."

"Time to see if he fights as good too." Anakin said, giving me a small grin

"I've been told I rival you, Master." I laughed

"Do you think it's true?" Anakin asked me, raising an eyebrow

"We'll find out." I shrugged

Anakin gave a small chuckle and I looked outside the cockpit window. The flagship hanger doors had been blasted wide open, and we had a clear path ahead of us, provided we weren't struck by a stray blaster bold. The clones in the gunner seats were working overtime to destroy the fighters around us, taking every available shot they could in an attempt to keep us from being blasted out of the sky.

"We're closing in, General!" The pilot called back to us "Everybody grab something!"

"Master," I said, reaching for the bars that the clones were grabbing onto "I have a slight problem."

"Which is?" Anakin asked, grabbing the bar

"I can't reach the damn bar." I grumbled, jumping and grabbing onto it

The clones and Anakin burst out laughing, and I suppose it was pretty funny. I was hanging onto the bar, but my feet weren't even touching the ground. I had always been a bit on the short side, but this was just ridiculous.

"Coming in!" The pilot yelled "Taking fire!"

A massive explosion rocked the ship and I lost my grip, slamming into a Rex and knocking him down. I scrambled to my feet quickly, helping Rex up. No sooner had we fully risen, another massive explosion rocked the gunship. I looked out the front cockpit, my eyes setting on an AA gun firing a steady stream of rounds at the ship.

"Bank left!" Anakin yelled "Now!"

The ship took a sharp turn to the left, narrowly avoiding a rocket that would've destroyed us. It shot right over us and flew into the hanger in front of us, creating a huge explosion, probably wiping out most of the droids in the hanger. Immediately afterwards, the ship jarred violently to the left again, throwing us all off balance.

"That last shot took out a small part of the wing!" The pilot yelled back to us "It'll have to be a crash landing!"

"Have we ever just regularly landed a ship?" Rex asked

"Once," Anakin shrugged "After that, I just decided normal landings were boring."

"Brace!" The pilot yelled

I didn't even bother grabbing onto the bar this time, I just planted my feet and hoped for the best. The ship jerked again, this time to the right. We were closing in on the hanger, and I could feel sweat running down my face. It was extremely possible I wouldn't survive this landing, it was also possible we'd be shot down before we even got close, I wasn't liking the odds.

"We're in!" The pilot yelled as we passed through the hanger

No sooner had the words left his mouth, we hit the ground. I was thrown forwards but I grabbed the bar as it launched me through the air, keeping myself from flying through the front window. The ship skidded to a halt, almost colliding with the wall. I glanced around us at the wreckage, broken droids and busted ships were all around us. Droids were moving in on us, and I knew we had less than a minute before they were right on top of us.

"Obi-Wan!" Anakin coughed into his comlink "We've landed in the enemy hanger!"

"Yes, well I'm afraid we have a similar problem here!" Obi-Wan's voice came back "Saboteur droids were aboard our ship and knocked down the shields, General Grievous has made his way into _our_ hanger!"

"Well you heard him boys," Anakin said, igniting his lightsaber "We'll have to beat Grievous back home."

I ignited mine as well and jumped from the opened doors, blocking blaster bolts as I flew through the air. The clones fired from behind me, not missing a single shot. People weren't fond of the creation of a clone army, but they were perfect soldiers, so I had no complaints.

"Pilot!" I heard Anakin yell from behind me "Follow us! The ship is done, we'll find another way out!"

"Yes sir!" I heard the pilot call

I covered them as more droids stormed inside the hanger, firing rapidly at us. I deflected a few bolts back at them before Anankin caught up with me, taking down several droids at once. The clones fired from behind us, scoring a kill with each shot. It didn't take long to clear out the droids in the hangar, but I knew there would be reinforcements on the way.

"Well that was easy," Rex said, approaching us "They usually put up a bit more of a fight."

"There'll be more," Anakin assured us "Don't worry."

"Bring em on," One of the clones said "I'll take this whole ship down."

"Easy, Gunrack," Anakin laughed "Save a little for the rest of us."

"Master," I said, looking around "Where do we go from here?"

"We'll have to find the main reactor, blow the ship apart from the inside," He said, checking our surroundings "Then it's a matter of finding a way out before the ship explodes."

"This seems like it has a very slim chance of success." I noted, walking behind him as he headed out of the hangar

"Missions like this usually do," Rex said "But when you volunteer for it, you're guaranteed to get the biggest amount of clankers."

"Did I ever mention how much I love the 501st?" One of the clones laughed

I kept my lightsaber out, advancing slowly through the corridors, keeping an eye out for any droids. Master Skywalker looked a bit preoccupied, as if he could sense a great disturbance and he didn't like it. Anakin held his hand up, indicating for us to stop. I peered around the corner and saw four super battle droids, two destroyers, and three commando droids.

"Malakai?" He asked

"Yes, Master?" I replied, taking my eyes away from the droids

"Show me what you've got." He said, nodding to the droids

I grinned and jumped out from behind the wall, making sure that the droids saw me as I did so. They opened fire, taking cover behind the destroyer shields. Anakin and the clones stood back, leaving me to my own. I deflected a bolt and hit one of the commando droids in the head, throwing him back.

"Blast him!" One of the droids yelled

They all opened fire once again, aiming to kill. I kicked off the wall and deflected several bolts back at them, taking out the four super battle droids and another commando droid. The other one chose that moment to jump over the destroyers and charge me, something I hadn't exactly been prepared for. I ducked as he took a swing at me, trying to take me down. I threw my lightsaber up and cut his weapon in half, then swung down at his body, slicing him down the middle. I lifted the two destroyers off the ground, giving the clones and opening to throw EMP charges under them, which I dropped them on.

"I'm definitely impressed, sir." One of the clones said to Anakin

"Could've worked faster," Anakin shrugged "But I agree, Bravo."

"I try, Master." I said, deactivating my lightsaber

We continued through the ship, making our way back to the main reactor. I had no clue where I was going, but Master Skywalker seemed to be familiar with Separatist ships, so I simply followed him. As we advanced through the ship, I began to feel a great darkness, the same one I had felt on Kashyyyk.

"Master-" I began, stopping

"I sense it too," Anakin said, pausing in mid stride and staring down the corridor behind us "Malakai, you stay with the clones, focus on the mission."

"And you?" I asked

"Ventress is here for one of us." He shrugged, heading back the other way

"Better you than me." I muttered, heading the opposite way

Rex took the lead, heading down a long corridor and blasting droids as he went. We didn't run into more than a few patrols, I felt the darkness growing further away and I knew that Master Skywalker had lured Ventress away. Finally, we came to a blast door that was sealed tight, there were no guards. I ignited my lightsaber and thrust it into the door, slowly cutting a hole big enough for us all to slip through. The metal fell away as I finished and we stepped through, scanning around us to make sure their weren't any droids.

"Nothing," Fancy said, removing his helmet "Watch our backs, Gunrack and I will get to work."

The rest of us took positions around the reactor while Fancy and Gunrack began placing charges. The Clones fanned out, Rex taking point and covering the door. I continued doing rounds, heading from one platform to another, looking around for any security droids.

Suddenly, a vision flashed across my eyes. I saw an old temple, vines covered the doorway and years of neglect had begun to eat away at the walls and foundation. Just above the doorway, the Wolshor family crest was just barely visible. The image changed and I saw Darmik and I dueling in a clearing, then it switched again and I saw Master Windu and a Sith dueling. The visions ended and I saw thrown back into reality with so much force that I nearly puked.

"Commander!" Rex called "We've got company!"

Before I had even turned, I heard the sound of blaster fire, and huge metal footsteps. I spun, raising my lightsaber and jumping back down to the Clones as I did so. A huge, humanoid being in metal armor was emerging from the doorway, using small ray shields on his wrists to deflect the fire from the Clones.

"What is that thing?" I yelled, running behind Rex

"His name is Durge," Rex said "And he hates Clones."


End file.
